THE    PLfeBISCITE 

OR 

A  MILLER'S  STORY  OF  THE  WAK 

BY  ONE  OF  THE   7,500,000  WHO  VOTED  "YES" 


BE  ROBBED  YOU,   THAT'S  ALL. 


THE   PLEBISCITE 


OR 


BY  ONE  OF  THE  7,500,000  WHO  VOTED  "YES" 


TRANSLATED  FROM  THE  FRENCH  OF 

ERCKMANN-CHATRIAN 


XOPVRIGHT,  i88g  AND  1898, 
BY  CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

"  HE  ROBBED  You,  THAT'S  ALL,"    .        .        .       Frontispiece 


PAGE 

GREDEL  WOULD  BE  SLOWLY  COMBING  HER  HAIR,  AT  HER 
WINDOW,      .........     36 

I  SHOULD  HAVE  STRANGLED  THEM  IN  A  MOMENT  !  .  .60 
AND  WE  HAVE  TO  PAY  THE  BILL,  .....  68 

THE   GRAPESHOT   HAS  MOWN  THEM  DOWN.    THERE  ARE 

NONE  LEFT,  ........     90 

THE  ARTILLERY  WAS  THUNDERING  AMONGST  THE  MOUN- 
TAINS,   ..........  112 

"  TRY  TO  BE  ALWAYS  TEN  AGAINST  ONE,"  .  .  .  130 
THEY  DREW  Two  POOR  OLD  MEN  FROM  THEIR  CELLAR,  168 

WE  CAME  INTO  A  MISERABLE  VILLAGE,   FULL  OF  SMALL 
CROSSES  ALONG  THE  ROAD,         .....  202 

THERE  HE  WAS,  LEANING  FORWARD  TO  LISTEN,  .  .  262 
GOOD-BY,  MY  FATHER!  GOOD-BY,  MY  MOTHER!  .  .  278 
IT  is  CLEAR  THAT  THE  Swiss  ABE  A  GREAT  PEOPLE,  .  320 


2041941 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTE 

THE  present  volume  serves  to  emphasize  the 
important  connection,  so  generally  now  lost  sight  of, 
between  the  plebiscite  of  1870  in  France  and  the 
war  with  Prussia  which  so  speedily  followed. 
Under  the  administration  of  Ollivier,  which  prom- 
ised an  attractive  extension  of  popular  liberties,  it 
will  be  remembered,  the  plebiscitum  of  the  Roman 
Constitution  was  borrowed,  to  give  an  air  of  popu- 
lar approval  to  the  strongly  attacked  Imperial  re- 
grime  by  taking  the  sense  of  the  people  through  uni- 
versal suffrage  as  to  the  continuance  of  the  Imperial 
authority  on  its  then  existing  basis.  Of  the  web  of 
chicane  and  corruption  by  which  the  election  was 
brought  out  an  overwhelming  triumph  for  Imperi- 
alism, MM.  Erckmann-Chatrian  give  a  clearer  and 
more  impressive  notion  in  this  book  than  could  be 
obtained  from  entire  volumes  of  parliamentary  re- 
ports and  whole  files  of  newspapers.  But  they  make 
it  especially  clear  how  the  people  were  persuaded  to 
return  a  majority  of  "  yeses  "  so  enormous  as  to 
make  it  impossible  to  account  for  it  on  the  theory 
of  mere  corruption  and  chicane.  It  is  evident  from 
this  narrative  that  the  people  were  made  to  believe 


viii  INTRODUCTORY  NOTE 

that  the  Empire  meant  peace  abroad  and  freedom 
from  foreign  complications  then  threatening,  as 
well  as  tranquillity  at  home,  and  that  therefore  one 
of  the  profoundest  instincts  of  twenty  millions  of 
peasantry  was  utilized  in  order  to  be  subsequently 
betrayed. 

No  authors  could  have  been  so  happily  chosen  to 
write  the  story  of  the  struggle  which  followed. 
Alsace  and  Lorraine,  at  once  the  scene  of  the  earli- 
est campaign  of  the  war  and  the  victims  of  its  result, 
furnish  the  most  appropriate  background  of  such 
a  picture.  In  reading  these  adventures,  sufferings, 
meditations,  and  discussions  of  the  simple  yet 
shrewd  Alsatian  miller  and  his  neighbors,  the 
reader  will  take  in  almost  at  a  glance  the  causes, 
incidents,  and  consequences  of  one  of  the  greatest  of 
modern  wars.  The  corruption  of  the  office-holding 
classes,  the  ignorance  of  the  army  officers  whose 
ranks  had  been  filled  by  favoritism,  the  bravery  of 
the  private  soldier  ill-equipped,  ill-fed,  and  disas- 
trously led,  the  contrasting  system  and  discipline 
of  the  Prussians,  the  awakening  by  Gambetta  of 
the  national  enthusiasm,  and  the  determined  and 
dogged  fighting  under  Chanzy,  Faidherbe,  and 
Bourbaki,  how  the  peasants  fared  at  the  hands  of 
the  enemy,  and  how  the  enemy  conducted  them- 
selves during  the  brief  campaign  are  all  unfolded 
before  the  reader  with  a  combined  fulness  and  in- 
cisiveness  difficult  to  encounter  elsewhere  in  nar- 
ratives of  this  momentous  conflict. 


THE  PLEBISCITE 

OB 


CHAPTER  I 

I  AM  writing  this  history  for  sensible  people. 
It  is  my  own  story  during  the  calamitous  war  we 
have  just  gone  through.  I  write  it  to  show  those 
who  shall  come  after  us  how  many  evil-minded  peo- 
ple there  are  in  the  world,  and  how  little  we  ought 
to  trust  fair  words;  for  we  have  been  deceived  in 
this  village  of  ours  after  a  most  abominable  fashion; 
we  have  been  deceived  by  all  sorts  of  people — by 
the  sous-prcfets,  by  the  prefets,  and  by  the  Minis- 
ters; by  the  cures,  by  the  official  gazettes;  in  a 
word,  by  each  and  all. 

Could  any  one  have  imagined  that  there  are  so 
many  deceivers  in  this  world?  No,  indeed;  it  re- 
quires to  be  seen  with  one's  own  eyes  to  be  believed. 

In  the  end  we  have  had  to  pay  dearly.  We  have 
given  up  our  hay,  our  straw,  our  corn,  our  flour, 
our  cattle ;  and  that  was  not  enough.  Finally,  they 
gave  up  us,  our  own  selves.  They  said  to  us :  "  You 
are  no  longer  Frenchmen;  you  are  Prussians!  We 
have  taken  your  young  men  to  fight  in  the  war; 

x 


2  STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

they  are  dead,  they  are  prisoners:  now  settle  with 
Bismarck  any  way  you  like;  your  business  is  none 
of  ours!  " 

But  these  things  must  be  told  plainly:  so  I  will 
begin  at  the  beginning,  without  getting  angry. 

You  must  know,  in  the  first  place,  that  I  ani  a 
"Tiller  in  the  village  of  Rothalp,  in  the  valley  of 
Metting,  at  Dosenheim,  between  Lorraine  and  Al- 
sace. It  is  a  large  and  fine  village  of  130  houses, 
possessing  its  cure  Daniel,  its  school-master  Adam 
Fix,  and  principal  inhabitants  of  every  kind — 
wheelwrights,  blacksmiths,  shoemakers,  tailors, 
publicans,  brewers,  dealers  in  eggs,  butter,  and 
poultry;  we  even  have  two  Jews,  Solomon  Kaan, 
a  pedler,  and  David  Hertz,  cattle-dealer. 

This  will  show  you  what  was  our  state  of  pros- 
perity before  this  war;  for  the  wealthier  a  village 
is,  the  more  strangers  it  draws:  every  man  finds  a 
livelihood  there,  and  works  at  his  trade. 

We  had  not  even  occasion  to  fetch  our  butcher' s- 
meat  from  town.  David  killed  a  cow  now  and  then, 
and  retailed  all  we  wanted  for  Sundays  and  holi- 
days. 

I,  Christian  Weber,  have  never  been  farther 
than  thirty  leagues  from  this  commune.  I  in- 
herited my  mill  from  my  grandfather,  Marcel  Des- 
jardins,  a  Frenchman  from  the  neighborhood  of 
Metz,  who  had  built  it  in  the  time  of  the  Swedish 
war,  when  our  village  was  but  a  miserable  hamlet. 
Twenty-six  years  ago  I  married  Catherine  Amos, 


STORY   OF   THE    PLEBISCITE  3 

daughter  of  the  old  forest-ranger.  She  brought  me 
a  hundred  louis  for  her  dowry.  We  have  two  chil- 
dren— a  daughter,  Gredel,  and  a  son,  Jacob,  who 
are  still  with  us  at  home. 

I  have  besides  a  cousin,  George  "Weber,  who 
went  off  more  than  thirty  years  ago  to  serve  in 
the  Marines  in  Guadaloupe.  He  has  even  been  on 
active  service  there.  It  was  he  who  beat  the  drum 
on  the  forecastle  of  the  ship  BoussoJc,  as  he  has  told 
me  a  hundred  times,  whilst  the  fleet  was  bombard- 
ing St.  John  d'Ulloa.  Afterward  he  was  promoted 
to  be  sergeant;  then  he  sailed  to  North  America, 
for  the  cod  fisheries;  and  again  into  the  Baltic,  on 
board  a  small  Danish  vessel  engaged  in  the  coal- 
trade.  George  was  always  intent  upon  making  a 
fortune.  About  1850  he  returned  to  Paris,  and  es- 
tablished a  manufactory  of  matches  in  the  Rue 
Mouffetard  in  Paris ;  and  as  he  is  really  a  very  hand- 
some tall  man,  with  a  dark  complexion,  bold  look- 
ing, and  with  a  quick  eye,  he  at  last  married  a  rich 
widow  without  children,  Madame  Marie  Anne 
Finck,  who  was  keeping  an  inn  in  that  neighbor- 
hood. They  grew  rich.  They  bought  land  in  our 
part  of  the  country  through  the  agency  of  Monsieur 
Fingado,  the  solicitor,  to  whom  he  sent  regularly 
the  price  of  every  piece  of  land.  At  last,  on  the 
death  of  the  old  carpenter,  Joseph  Briou,  he  became 
the  purchaser  of  his  house,  to  live  there  with  his 
wife,  and  to  keep  a  public-house  on  the  road  to  Met- 
ting. 


4  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

This  took  place  last  year,  during  the  time  of  the 
Plebiscite,  and  Cousin  George  came  to  inspect  his 
house  before  taking  his  wife,  Marie  Anne,  to  it. 

I  was  mayor;  I  had  received  orders  from  M.  le 
Sous-prefet  to  give  public  notice  of  the  Plebiscite, 
and  to  request  all  well-disposed  persons  to  vote 
"  Yes"  if  they  desired  to  preserve  peace ;  because 
all  the  ruffians  in  the  country  were  going  to  vote 
No,  to  have  war. 

This  is  exactly  what  I  did,  by  making  everybody 
promise  to  come  without  fail,  and  sending  the  ban- 
gard  *  Martin  Kapp  to  carry  the  voting  tickets  to 
the  very  farthest  cottages  up  the  mountains. 

Cousin  George  arrived  the  evening  before  the 
Plebiscite.  I  received  him  very  kindly,  as  one 
ought  to  receive  a  rich  relation  who  has  no  chil- 
dren. He  seemed  quite  pleased  to  see  us,  and  dined 
with  us  in  the  best  of  tempers.  He  carried  with 
him  in  a  small  leathern  trunk  clothes,  shoes,  shirts 
— everything  that  he  required.  He  was  short  of 
nothing.  That  day  everything  went  on  well;  but 
the  next  day,  hearing  the  notices  cried  by  the  rural 
policeman,  he  went  off  to  Reibell's  brewery,  which 
was  full  of  people,  and  began  to  preach  against  the 
Plebiscite. 

I  was  just  then  at  the  mayoralty  house  wearing 
my  official  scarf  receiving  the  tickets,  when  sud- 
denly my  deputy  Placiard  came  to  tell  me,  in  high 

*An  old  word,  probably  from  ban  garde  ;  now  garde  chamr 
pitre,  a  kind  of  rural  policeman. 


STORY    OF   THE    PLEBISCITE  5 

indignation,  that  certain  miserable  wretches  were 
attacking  the  rider;  that  one  of  them  was  at  the 
"  Cruchon  d'Or,"  and  that  half  the  village  were 
very  nearly  murdering  him. 

Immediately  I  went  down  and  ran  to  the  public- 
house,  where  my  cousin  was  calling  them  all  asses, 
affirming  that  the  Plebiscite  was  for  war;  that  the 
Emperor,  the  Ministers,  the  prefects,  the  generals, 
and  the  bishops  were  deceiving  the  people;  that  all 
those  men  were  acting  a  part  to  get  our  money  from 
us,  and  much  besides  to  the  same  purpose. 

I,  from  the  passage,  could  hear  him  shouting 
these  things  in  a  terrible  voice,  and  I  said  to  my- 
self, "  The  poor  fellow  has  been  drinking." 

If  George  had  not  been  my  cousin;  if  he  had 
not  been  quite  capable  some  day  of  disinheriting 
my  children,  I  should  certainly  have  arrested  him 
at  once,  and  had  him  conveyed  under  safe  keep- 
ing to  Sarrebourg;  but,  on  giving  due  weight  to 
these  considerations,  I  resolved  to  put  an  end  to 
this  awkward  business,  and  I  cried  to  the  people 
who  were  crowding  the  passage,  "  Make  room,  you 
fellows,  make  room!  " 

Those  enraged  creatures,  seeing  the  scarf,  gave 
way  in  all  directions;  and  then  discovering  my  cous- 
in, seated  at  a  table  in  the  right-hand  corner,  I  said: 
"  Cousin  \  what  are  you  thinking  of,  to  create  suck 
a  scandal?  " 

He,  too,  was  abashed  at  the  sight  of  the  scarf, 
having  served  in  the  navy,  and  knowing  that  there 


6  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

is  no  man  who  claims  more  respect  than  a  mayor; 
that  he  has  a  right  to  lay  hands  upon  you,  and  send 
you  to  the  lock-up,  and,  if  you  resist,  to  send  you  as 
far  as  Sarrebourg  and  Nancy.  Reflecting  upon 
this,  he  calmed  down  in  a  moment,  for  he  had  not 
been  drinking  at  all,  as  I  supposed  at  first,  and  he 
was  saying  these  things  without  bitterness,  without 
anger,  conscientiously,  and  out  of  regard  for  his 
fellow-citizens. 

Therefore,  he  replied  to  me,  quietly:  "  Mr. 
Mayor,  look  after  your  elections!  See  that  cer- 
tain rogues  up  there — as  there  are  rogues  every- 
where— don't  stuff  into  the  ballot-box  handfuls  of 
Yeses  instead  of  Noes  while  your  back  is  turned. 
This  has  often  happened!  And  then  pray  don't 
trouble  yourself  about  me.  In  the  Government 
Gazette,  it  is  declared  that  every  man  shall  be  free 
to  maintain  his  own  opinions,  and  to  vote  as  he 
pleases;  if  my  mouth  is  stopped,  I  shall  protest  in 
the  newspapers." 

Hearing  that  he  would  protest,  to  avoid  a  worse 
scandal  I  answered  him:  "  Say  what  you  please; 
no  one  shall  declare  that  we  have  put  any  con- 
straint upon  the  elections;  but,  you  men,  you  know 
what  you  have  to  do." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  shouted  all  the  people  in  the  room 
and  down  the  passage,  lifting  their  hats.  "  Yes, 
Monsieur  le  Maire;  we  will  listen  to  nothing  at  all. 
iWhether  they  talk  all  day  or  say  nothing,  it  is  all 
the  same  to  us." 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  7 

And  they  all  went  off  to  vote,  leaving  George 
alone. 

M.  le  Cure  Daniel,  seeing  them  coming  out, 
came  from  his  parsonage  to  place  himself  at  their 
head.  He  had  preached  in  the  morning  in  favor 
of  the  Plebiscite,  and  there  was  not  a  single  No  in 
the  box. 

If  my  cousin  had  not  had  the  large  meadow  above 
the  mill,  and  the  finest  acres  in  the  country,  he 
would  have  been  an  object  of  contempt  for  the  rest 
of  his  days;  but  a  rich  man,  who  has  just  bought  a 
house,  an  orchard,  a  garden,  and  has  paid  ready 
money  for  everything,  may  say  whatever  he 
pleases:  especially  when  he  is  not  listened  to,  and 
the  people  go  and  do  the  very  opposite  of  what  he 
has  been  advising  them. 

Well,  this  is  the  way  with  the  elections  for  the 
Plebiscite  with  us,  and  just  the  same  thing  went 
on  throughout  our  canton:  at  Phalsbourg — which, 
had  been  abundantly  placarded  against  the  Plebis- 
cite, and  where  they  carried  their  audacity  even  to 
watching  the  mayor  and  the  ballot-box — out  of  fif- 
teen hundred  electors,  military  and  civil,  there  were 
only  thirty-two  Noes. 

It  is  quite  clear  that  things  were  making  favorable 
progress,  and  that  M.  le  Sous-prefet  could  not  be 
otherwise  than  perfectly  satisfied  with  our  behavior. 

I  must  also  mention  that  we  were  in  want  of  a 
parish  road  to  Hangeviller;  that  we  had  been 
promised  a  pair  of  church-bells,  and  the  Glandee, 


8  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

or  right  of  feeding  our  hogs  upon  the  acorns  in  au- 
tumn; and  that  we  were  aware  that  all  the  vil- 
lages which  voted  the  wrong  way  got  nothing, 
whilst  the  others — in  consideration  of  the  good 
councilors  they  had  sent  up,  either  to  the  arron- 
cfosement  or  the  department — might  always  reck- 
on upon  a  little  money  from  the  tax-collector  for 
the  necessities  of  their  parish.  Monsieur  le  Sous- 
prefet  had  pointed  out  these  advantages  to  me; 
and  naturally  a  good  mayor  will  inform  his  subor- 
dinates. I  did  so.  Our  deputies,  our  councillors- 
general,  our  councillors  of  the  arrondissement,  were 
all  on  the  right  side!  By  these  means  we  have  al- 
ready gained  the  right  to  the  dead  leaves  and  our 
great  wash-houses.  We  only  sought  our  own  good, 
and  we  much  preferred  seeing  other  villages  pay 
the  ministers,  the  senators,  the  marshals,  the  bish- 
ops, and  the  princes,  to  paying  them  ourselves. 
So  that  all  that  Cousin  George  could  say  to  us  about 
the  interest  of  all,  and  the  welfare  of  the  nation, 
made  not  the  least  impression  upon  us. 

I  remember  that  that  very  day  of  the  Plebiscite, 
when  it  was  already  known  that  we  had  all  voted 
right,  and  that  we  should  get  our  two  bells  with 
the  parish  road — I  remember  that  my  cousin  and 
I  had,  after  supper,  a  great  quarrel,  and  that  I 
should  certainly  have  put  him  out,  if  it  had  not 
been  he. 

"We  were  taking  our  petit  verre  of  kirscJi,  smok- 
ing our  pipes,  with  our  elbows  on  the  table;  my 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  9 

wife  and  Gredel  had  already  gone  to  bed,  when  all 
at  once  he  said  to  me:  "  Listen  to  me,  Christian. 
Save  the  respect  I  owe  you  as  mayor,  you  are  all  a 
set  of  geese  in  this  village,  and  it  is  a  very  fortunate 
thing  that  I  am  come  here,  that  you  may  have,  at 
least,  one  sensible  man  among  you." 
I  was  going  to  get  angry,  but  he  said: 
"  Just  let  me  finish ;  if  you  had  but  spent  a 
couple  of  years  at  Paris,  you  would  see  things  a 
little  plainer;  but  at  this  moment,  you  are  like  a 
nest  of  hungry  jays,  blind  and  unfeathered;  they 
open  their  bills,  and  they  cry  '  Jaques,'  to  call 
down  food  from  heaven.  Those  who  hear  them 
climb  pp  the  tree,  twist  their  necks,  put  them  into 
the  pot  and  laugh.  That  is  your  position.  You 
have  confidence  in  your  enemies,  and  you  give 
them  power  to  pluck  you  just  as  they  please.  If 
you  appointed  upright  men  in  your  districts  as 
deputies,  councillors-general,  instead  of  taking  who- 
ever the  prefecture  recommends,  would  not  the 
Emperor  and  the  other  honorable  men  above  be 
obliged  then  to  leave  you  the  money  which  the 
tax-collector  makes  you  pay  in  excess?  Could  all 
those  people  then  enrich  themselves  at  your  ex- 
pense, and  amass  immense  fortunes  in  a  few  years? 
AVould  you  then  see  old  baskets  with  their  bottoms 
out,  fellows  whom  you  would  not  have  trusted  with 
a  halfpenny  before  the  coup-d'etat — would  you 
see  them  become  millionnaires,  rolling  in  gold,  glid- 
ing along  in  carriages  with  their  wives,  their  chil- 


10 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 


dren,  their  servants,  and  their  ballet-dancers?  The 
pref  ets,  the  .sous-pref ets  say  to  you :  '  Go  on  voting 
right,  and  you  shall  have  this,  you  shall  have  that ' 
— things  which  you  have  a  right  to  demand  in 
virtue  of  the  taxes  you  pay,  but  which  are  granted 
to  you  as  favors — roads,  wash-houses,  schools,  etc. 
Would  you  not  be  having  them  in  your  own  right, 
if  the  money  which  is  taken  from  you  were  left  in 
the  commune?  What  does  the  Emperor  do  for 
you  ?  He  plunders  you — that  is  all.  Your  money, 
he  shows  it  to  you  before  each  election,  as  they  show 
a  child  a  stick  of  sugar-candy  to  make  it  laugh;  and 
when  the  election  is  over  he  puts  it  back  into  his 
pocket.  The  trick  is  played." 

"  How  can  he  put  that  money  into  his  pocket?  " 
I  asked,  full  of  indignation.  "  Are  not  the  accounts 
presented  every  year  in  the  Chambers  ?  " 

Upon  this  he  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  an- 
swered: "  You  are  not  sharp,  Christian;  it  is  not 
so  difficult  to  present  accounts  to  the  Chambers. 
So  many  chassepots — which  have  no  existence !  So 
much  munition  of  war,  of  which  no  one  knows  any- 
thing. So  much  for  retiring  pensions ;  so  much  for 
the  substitutes'  fund;  so  much  for  changes  of  uni- 
form. The  uniforms  are  changed  every  year;  that 
is  good  for  business.  Do  the  deputies  inquire  into 
these  matters?  Who  checks  the  Ministers'  budgets'? 
And  the  deputies  whom  the  Minister  of  the  Interior 
has  recommended  to  you,  whom  you  have  appointed 
like  fools,  and  whom  the  Emperor  would  throw  up 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  x? 

at  the  very  first  election,  if  those  gentlemen  breathed 
a  syllable  about  visiting  the  arsenals  and  examining 
into  the  accounts — what  a  farce  it  is!  Why,  yes- 
terday, passing  through  Phalsbourg,  I  got  upon 
the  ramparts,  and  I  saw  there  guns  of  the  time  of 
Herod,  upon  gun-carriages  eaten  up  by  worms  and 
painted  over  to  conceal  the  rottenness.  These  very 
guns,  I  do  believe,  are  recast  every  third  or  fourth 
year — upon  paper — with  your  money.  Ah,  my 
poor  Christian,  you  are  not  very  sharp,  nor  the 
other  people  in  our  village  either.  But  the  men 
you  send  as  deputies  to  Paris — they  are  sharp,  too 
sharp." 

He  broke  out  into  a  laugh,  and  I  could  have  sent 
him  back  to  Paris. 

"  Do  you  know  what  you  want  ? "  said  he  then, 
filling  his  pipe  and  lighting  it,  for  I  made  no  re- 
ply, being  too  much  annoyed;  "  what  you  want  is 
not  good  sense,  it  is  not  honesty.  All  of  us  peas- 
ants, we  still  possess  some  good  sense  and  honesty. 
And  we  believe,  moreover,  in  the  honesty  of  others, 
which  proves  that  we  ourselves  have  a  little  left! 
!N"o,  what  you  want  is  education;  you  have  asked 
for  bells,  and  bells  you  will  get;  but  all  the  school 
you  have  is  a  miserable  shed,  and  your  only  school- 
master is  old  Adam  Fix,  who  can  teach  his  children 
nothing  because  he  knows  nothing  himself.  Well 
now,  if  you  were  to  ask  for  a  really  good  school, 
there  would  be  no  money  in  the  public  funds. 
There  is  money  enough  for  bells,  but  for  a  good 


12  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

school-master,  for  a  large,  well-ventilated  room,  for 
deal  benches  and  tables,  for  pictures,  slates,  maps, 
and  books,  there  is  nothing;  for  if  you  had  good 
schools,  your  children  could  read,  write,  keep  ac- 
counts; they  would  soon  be  able  to  look  into  the 
Ministers'  budgets,  and  that  is  exactly  what  his 
Majesty  wishes  to  avoid.  You  understand  now, 
cousin;  this  is  the  reason  why  you  have  no  school 
and  you  have  bells." 

Then  he  looked  knowingly  at  me : 

"  And,  do  you  know,"  said  he,  after  a  few  mo- 
ments' thought,  "  do  you  know  how  much  all  the 
schools  in  France  cost?  I  am  not  referring  to  the 
great  schools  of  medicine,  and  law,  and  chemistry, 
the  colleges,  and  the  lyceums,  which  are  schools  for 
wealthy  young  men,  able  to  keep  themselves  in 
large  cities,  and  to  pay  for  their  own  maintenance. 
I  am  speaking  of  schools  for  the  people,  elementary 
schools,  where  reading  and  writing  are  taught :  the 
two  first  things  which  a  man  must  know,  and  which 
distinguish  him  from  the  savages  who  roam  naked 
in  the  American  forests?  Well,  the  deputies  whom 
the  people  themselves  send  to  protect  their  interests 
in  Paris,  and  whose  first  thought,  if  they  are  not  al- 
together thieves,  ought  to  be  to  discharge  their 
duty  toward  their  constituencies — these  deputies 
have  never  voted  for  the  schools  of  the  people  a 
larger  sum  than  seventy-five  millions.  The  state 
contributes  ten  millions  as  its  share;  the  commune, 
the  departments,  the  fathers  and  mothers  do  the 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  13 

rest.  Seventy-five  millions  to  educate  the  people  in 
a  great  country  like  ours!  it  is  a  disgrace.  The 
United  States  spends  six  times  the  amount.  But  on 
the  other  hand,  for  the  war  budget  we  pay  five  hun- 
dred millions;  even  that  would  not  be  too  much  if 
we  had  five  hundred  thousand  men  under  arms,  ac- 
cording to  the  calculation  which  has  been  made  of 
what  it  costs  per  diem  for  each  man;  but  for  an 
army  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  men,  it  is 
too  much  by  half.  What  becomes  of  the  other  three 
hundred  millions?  If  they  were  made  available  to 
build  schools,  to  pay  able  masters,  to  furnish  retreats 
for  workmen  in  their  declining  days,  I  should  have 
nothing  to  say  against  it;  but  to  jingle  in  the  pock- 
ets of  MM.  the  senators  and  to  ring  the  bells  of 
MM.  the  cures,  I  consider  that  too  dear." 

As  Cousin  George  bothered  my  mind  with  all 
his  arguments,  I  felt  a  wish  to  go  to  bed,  and  I 
said  to  him : 

"  All  that,  cousin,  is  very  fine,  but  it  is  getting 
late:  and  besides  it  has  nothing  to  do  with  the 
Plebiscite." 

I  had  risen;  but  he  laid  his  hand  upon  my  arm 
and  said:  "  Let  us  talk  a  little  longer — let  me  finish 
my  pipe.  You  say  that  this  has  nothing  to  do  with 
the  Plebiscite;  but  that  Plebiscite  is  for  all  this 
nice  arrangement  of  things  to  go  on.  If  the  nation 
believes  that  all  is  right,  that  enough  money  is  left  to 
it,  and  that  it  can  even  spare  a  little  more;  that  the 
ministers,  the  senators,  and  the  princes  are  not  yet 


14  STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

sufficiently  fat  and  flourishing;  that  the  Emperor 
has.  not  bought  enough  in  foreign  countries;  well, 
it  will  say  with  this  Plebiscite, l  Go  on,  pray  go  on — 
we  are  quite  satisfied.'  Does. that  suit  your  ideas?  " 

"  Yes.  I  had  rather  that  than  war,"  said  I,  in 
a  very  bad  temper.  "  The  Empire  is  peace;  I  vote 
for  peace." 

Then  George  himself  rose  up,  emptying  his  pipe 
on  the  edge  of  the  table,  and  said :  "  Christian,  you 
are  right.  Let  us  go  to  bed.  I  repent  having 
bought  old  Briou's  house;  decidedly  the  people  in 
these  parts  are  too  stupid.  You  quite  grieve  me." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  want  to  grieve  you,"  said  I,  an- 
grily; "  I  have  quite  as  much  sense  as  you." 

"  What!  "  said  he,  "  you  the  mayor  of  Rothalp, 
in  daily  communication  with  the  sous-prefet,  you 
believe  that  the  object  of  this  Plebiscite  is  to  con- 
firm peace? " 

"  Yes,  I  do." 

"  What,  you  believe  that?  Come  now.  Have 
we  not  peace  at  the  present  moment?  Do  we  want 
a  Plebiscite  to  preserve  it?  Do  you  suppose  that 
the  Germans  are  taken  in  by  it?  Our  peasants,  to 
be  sure,  are  misled;  they  are  indoctrinated  at  the 
cure's  house,  at  the  mayoralty-house,  at  the  sous- 
prefecture;  but  not  a  single  workman  in  Paris  is  a 
dupe  of  this  pernicious  scheming.  They  all  know 
that  the  Emperor  and  the  Ministers  want  war;  that 
the  generals  and  the  superior  officers  demand  it. 
Peace  is  a  good  thing  for  tradesmen,  for  artisans, 


STORY    OF   THE    PLEBISCITE  15 

for  peasants;  but  the  officers  are  tired  of  being 
cramped  up  in  the  same  rank  perpetually  without  a 
rise.  Already  the  inferior  officers  have  been  dis- 
gusted with  the  profession  through  the  crowds  of 
nobles,  Jesuits,  and  canting  hypocrites  of  all  sorts 
who  are  thrust  into  the  army.  The  troops  are  not 
animated  with  a  good  spirit;  they  want  promotion, 
or  they  will  end  by  rousing  themselves  into  a  pas- 
sion: especially  when  they  see  the  Prussians  under 
our  noses  helping  themselves  to  everything  they 
please  without  asking  our  leave.  You  don't  under- 
stand that!  There,"  said  he,  "I  am  sleepy.  Let 
us  go  to  bed." 

Then  I  began  to  understand  that  my  cousin  had 
learned  many  things  in  Paris,  and  that  he  knew 
more  of  politics  than  I  did.  But  that  did  not  pre- 
vent me  from  being  in  a  great  rage  with  him,  for  the 
whole  of  that  day  he  had  done  nothing  but  cause 
trouble;  and  I  said  to  myself  that  it  was  impossible 
to  live  with  such  a  brute. 

My  wife,  at  the  top  of  the  landing,  had  heard 
us  disputing;  but  as  we  were  going  upstairs,  she 
came  all  smiles  to  meet  us,  holding  the  candle,  and 
saying:  "  Oh,  you  have  had  a  great  deal  to  tell 
each  other  this  evening!  You  must  have  had 
enough.  Come,  cousin,  let  me  take  you  to  your 
room ;  there  it  is.  From  your  window  you  may  see 
the  woods  in  the  moonlight;  and  here  is  your  bed, 
the  best  in  the  house.  You  will  find  your  cotton 
nightcap  under  the  pillow." 


16  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

"  Very  nice,  Catherine,  thank  you,"  said  George. 

"  And  I  hope  you  will  sleep  comfortably,"  said 
she,  returning  to  me. 

This  wise  woman,  full  of  excellent  good  sense, 
then  said  to  me,  while  I  was  undressing:  "  Chris- 
tian !  what  were  you  thinking  of,  to  contradict  your 
cousin?  Such  a  rich  man,  and  who  can  do  us  so 
much  good  by  and  by!  What  does  the  Plebiscite 
signify?  What  can  that  bring  us  in?  Whatever 
your  cousin  says  to  you,  say  {  Amen  '  after  it.  Re- 
member that  his  wife  has  relations,  and  she  will 
want  to  get  everything  on  her  side.  Mind  you  don't 
quarrel  with  George.  A  fine  meadow  below  the 
mill,  and  an  orchard  on  the  hill-side,  are  not  found 
every  day  in  the  way  of  a  cow." 

I  saw  at  once  that  she  was  right,  and  I  inwardly 
resolved  never  to  contradict  George  again:  he 
might  himself  alone  be  worth  to  us  far  more  than 
the  Emperor,  the  Ministers,  the  senators,  and  all 
the  establishment  together;  for  everyone  of  those 
people  thought  of  his  own  interests  alone,  without 
ever  casting  a  thought  upon  us.  Of  course  we  ought 
to  do  the  same  as  they  did,  since  they  had  succeeded 
so  well  in  sewing  gold  lace  upon  all  their  seams, 
fattening  and  living  in  abundance  in  this  world; 
not  to  mention  the  promises  that  the  bishops  made 
to  them  for  the  next. 

Thinking  upon  these  things,  I  lay  calmly  down, 
and  soon  fell  asleep. 


CHAPTER  H 

THE  next  day  early,  Cousin  George,  my  son 
Jacob,  and  myself,  after  having  eaten  a  crust  of 
bread  and  taken  a  glass  of  wine  standing,  harnessed 
our  horses,  and  put  them  into  our  two  carts  to  go 
and  fetch  my  cousin's  wife  and  furniture  at  the 
Liitzelbourg  station. 

Before  coming  into  our  country,  George  had  or- 
dered his  house  to  be  whitewashed  and  painted  from 
top  to  bottom ;  he  had  laid  new  floors,  and  replaced 
the  old  shingle  roof  with  tiles.  Now  the  paint  was 
dry,  the  doors  and  windows  stood  open  day  and 
night;  the  house  could  not  be  robbed,  for  there 
was  nothing  in  it.  My  cousin,  seeing  that  all  was 
right,  had  just  written  to  his  wife  that  she  might 
bring  their  goods  and  chattels  with  her. 

So  we  started  about  six  in  the  morning;  upon 
the  road  the  people  of  Hangeviller,  of  Metting, 
and  Vechem,  and  those  who  were  going  to  market 
in  the  town,  were  singing  and  shouting  "  Vive 
PEmpereur!  " 

Everywhere  they  had  voted  "  Yes,"  for  peace. 
It  was  the  greatest  fraud  that  had  ever  been  per- 
petrated: by  the  way  in  which  the  Ministers,  the 
prefects,  and  the  Government  newspapers  had  ex- 
a  '7 


i8  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

plained  the  Plebiscite,  everybody  had  imagined 
that  he  had  really  voted  peace. 

Cousin  George  hearing  this,  said,  "  Oh,  you  poor 
country  folks,  how  I  pity  you  for  being  such  im- 
beciles! How  I  pity  you  for  believing  what  these 
pickpockets  tell  you !  " 

That  was  how  he  styled  the  Emperor's  govern- 
ment, and  naturally  I  felt  my  indignation  rise;  but 
Catherine's  sound  advice  came  back  into  my  mind, 
and  I  thought,  "  Hold  your  tongue,  Christian;  don't 
say  a  word — that's  your  best  plan." 

All  along  the  road  we  saw  the  same  spectacle;  the 
soldiers  of  the  84th,  garrisoned  at  Phalsbourg, 
looked  as  pleased  as  men  who  have  won  the  first 
prize  in  a  lottery;  the  colonel  declared  that  the  men 
who  did  not  vote  "  Yes  "  would  be  unworthy  of  be- 
ing called  Frenchmen.  Every  man  had  voted 
"  Yes;  "  for  a  good  soldier  knows  nothing  but  his 
orders. 

So  having  passed  before  the  gate  of  France,  we 
came  down  to  the  Baraques,  and  then  reached 
Liitzelbourg.  The  train  from  Paris  had  passed  a 
few  minutes  before ;  the  whistle  could  yet  be  heard 
under  the  Saverne  tunnel. 

My  cousin's  wife,  with  whom  I  was  not  yet  ac- 
quainted, was  standing  by  her  luggage  on  the  plat- 
form; and  seeing  George  coming  up,  she  joyfully 
cried,  "  Ah !  is  that  you  ?  and  here  is  cousin." 

She  kissed  us  both  heartily,  gazing  at  us,  how- 
ever, with  some  surprise,  perhaps  on  account  of  our 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  19 

blouses  and  our  great  wide-brimmed  black  hats. 
But  no !  it  could  not  be  that;  for  Marie  Anne  Finck 
was  a  native  of  Wasselonne,  in  Alsace,  and  the  Al- 
sacians  have  always  worn  the  blouse  and  wide- 
brimmed  hat  as  long  as  I  can  remember.  But  this 
tall,  thin  woman,  with  her  large  brown  eyes,  as  bus- 
tling, quick,  and  active  as  gunpowder,  after  having 
passed  thirty  years  at  Paris,  having  first  been  cook  at 
Krantheimer's,  at  a  place  called  the  Barriere  de 
Montmartre,  and  then  in  five  or  six  other  inns  in 
that  great  city,  might  well  be  somewhat  astonished 
at  seeing  such  simple  people  as  we  were;  and  no 
doubt  it  also  gave  her  pleasure. 

That  is  my  idea. 

"  The  carts  are  there,  wife,"  cried  George,  in 
high  spirits.  "  We  will  load  the  biggest  with  as 
much  furniture  as  we  can,  and  put  the  rest  upon  the 
smaller  one.  You  will  sit  in  front.  There — look 
up  there — that's  the  Castle  of  Liitzelbourg,  and  that 
pretty  little  wooden  house  close  by,  covered  all  over 
with  vine,  that  is  a  chalet,  Father  Hoffman-Forty's 
chalet,  the  distiller  of  cordials,  you  know  the  cordial 
of  Phalsbourg." 

He  showed  her  everything. 

Then  we  began  to  load ;  that  big  Yeri,  who  takes 
the  tickets  at  the  gate  and  who  carries  the  parcels  to 
Monsieur  Andre's  omnibus,  comes  to  lend  us  a  hand. 
The  two  carts  being  loaded  about  twelve  o'clock,  and 
my  cousin's  wife  seated  in  front  of  the  foremost  one 
upon  a  truss  of  straw,  we  started  at  a  quiet  pace  for 


20  STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

the  village,  where  we  arrived  about  three  o'clock. 
But  I  remember  one  thing,  which  I  will  not  omit  to 
mention.  As  we  were  coming  out  of  Liitzelbourg, 
a  heavy  wagon-load  of  coal  was  coming  down  the 
hill,  a  lad  of  sixteen  or  seventeen  leading  the  horse 
by  the  bridle ;  at  the  door  of  the  last  house,  a  little 
child  of  five  years  old,  sitting  on  the  ground,  was 
looking  at  our  carts  passing  by;  he  was  out  of  the 
road,  he  could  not  be  in  any  one's  way,  and  was  sit- 
ting there  perfectly  quiet,  when  the  boy,  without 
any  reason,  gave  him  a  lash  with  his  whip,  which 
made  the  child  cry  aloud. 

My  cousin's  wife  saw  that. 

"  Why  did  that  boy  strike  the  child? "  she  in- 
quired. 

"  That's  a  coal-heaver,"  George  answered.  "  He 
comes  from  Sarrebriick.  He  is  a  Prussian.  He 
struck  the  child  because  he  is  a  French  child." 

Then  my  cousin's  wife  wanted  to  get  down  to  fall 
upon  the  Prussian;  she  cried  to  him,  "  You  great 
coward,  you  lazy  dog,  you  wicked  wretch,  come  and 
hit  me."  And  the  boy  would  have  come  to  settle 
her,  if  we  had  not  been  there  to  receive  him;  but  he 
would  not  trust  himself  to  us,  and  lashed  his  horses 
to  get  out  of  our  reach,  making  all  haste  to  pass  the 
bridge,  and  turning  his  head  round  toward  us,  for 
fear  of  being  followed. 

I  thought  at  the  time  that  Cousin  George  was 
wrong  in  saying  this  boy  had  a  spite  against  the 
French  because  he  was  a  Prussian;  but  I  learned 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  21 

afterward  that  he  was  right,  and  that  the  Germans 
have  borne  ill-will  against  us  for  years  without  let- 
ting us  see  it — like  a  set  of  sulky  fellows  waiting  for 
a  good  opportunity  to  make  us  feel  it. 

"  It  is  our  good  man  that  we  have  to  thank  for 
this,"  said  George.  "  The  Germans  fancy  that  we 
have  named  him  Emperor  to  begin  his  uncle's  tricks 
again ;  arid  now  they  look  upon  our  Plebiscite  as  a 
declaration  of  war.  The  joy  of  our  sous-prefets, 
our  mayors,  and  our  cures,  and  of  all  those  excellent 
people  who  only  prosper  upon  the  miseries  of  man- 
kind, proves  that  they  are  not  very  far  out." 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  cried  his  wife;  "  but  to  beat  a 
child,  that  is  cowardly." 

"  Bah !  don't  let  us  think  about  it,"  said  George. 
"  We  shall  see  much  worse  things  than  this ;  and  we 
shall  have  deserved  it,  through  our  own  folly.  God 
grant  that  I  may  be  mistaken!  " 

Talking  so,  we  arrived  home. 

My  wife  had  prepared  dinner ;  there  was  kissing 
all  round,  the  acquaintance  was  made;  we  all  sat 
round  the  table,  and  dined  with  excellent  appetites. 
Marie  Anne  was  gay;  she  had  already  seen  their 
house  on  her  way,  and  the  garden  behind  it  with  its 
rows  of  gooseberry  bushes  and  the  plum-trees  full  of 
blossom.  The  two  carts,  the  horses  having  been 
taken  out,  were  standing  before  their  door;  and  from 
our  windows  might  be  seen  the  village  people  exam- 
ining the  furniture  with  great  interest,  hovering 
round  and  gazing  with  curiosity  upon  the  great 


22  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

heavy  boxes,  feeling  the  bedding,  and  talking  to- 
gether about  this  great  quantity  of  goods,  just  as  if 
it  was  their  own  business. 

They  were  remarking  no  doubt  that  our  cousin 
George  Weber  and  his  wife  were  rich  people,  who 
deserved  the  respectful  consideration  of  the  whole 
country  round;  and  I  myself,  before  seeing  these 
great  chests,  should  never  have  dreamed  that  they 
could  have  so  much  belonging  entirely  to  them- 
selves. 

This  proved  to  me  that  my  wife  was  perfectly 
right  in  continuing  to  pay  every  respect  to  my 
cousin;  she  had  also  cautioned  our  daughter  Gre- 
del:  as  for  Jacob,  he  is  a  most  sensible  lad,  who 
thinks  of  everything  and  needs  not  to  be  told  what 
to  do. 

But  what  astonished  us  a  great  deal  more,  was 
to  see  arriving  about  half -past  three  two  other  large 
wagons  from  the  direction  of  Wechem,  and  hearing 
my  cousin  cry  "  Here  comes  my  wine  from  Barr !  " 

Before  coming  to  Rothalp  he  had  himself  gone 
to  Barr,  in  Alsace,  to  taste  the  wine  and  to  make  his 
own  bargains. 

"  Come,  Christian,"  said  he,  rising,  "  we  have 
no  time  to  lose  if  we  mean  to  unload  before  night- 
fall. Take  your  pincers  and  your  mallet ;  you  will 
also  fetch  ropes  and  a  ladder  to  let  the  casks  down 
into  the  cellar." 

Jacob  ran  to  fetch  what  was  wanted,  and  we  all 
came  out  together — my  wife,  my  daughter,  cousin, 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  23 

and  everybody.  My  man  Frantz  remained  alone  at 
the  mill,  and  immediately  they  began  to  undo  the 
boxes,  to  carry  the  furniture  into  the  house:  chests 
of  drawers,  wardrobes,  bedsteads,  and  quantities  of 
plates,  dishes,  soup-tureens,  etc.,  which  were  carried 
straight  into  the  kitchen. 

My  cousin  gave  his  orders :  "  Put  this  down  in  a 
corner;  set  that  in  another  corner." 

The  neighbors  helped  us  too,  out  of  curiosity. 
Everything  went  on  admirably. 

And  then  arrived  the  wagons  from  Barr;  but 
they  were  obliged  to  be  kept  waiting  till  seven 
o'clock.  Our  wives  had  already  set  up  the  beds  and 
put  away  the  linen  in  the  wardrobes. 

About  seven  o'clock  everything  was  in  order  in 
the  house.  We  now  thought  of  resting  till  to-mor- 
row, when  George  said  to  us,  turning  up  his  sleeves, 
"  Now,  my  friend,  here  comes  the  biggest  part  of 
the  work.  I  always  strike  the  iron  while  it's  hot. 
Let  all  the  men  who  are  willing  help  me  to  unload 
the  casks,  for  the  drivers  want  to  get  back  to  town, 
and  I  believe  they  are  right." 

Immediately  the  cellar  was  opened,  the  ladder  set 
up  against  the  first  wagon,  the  lanterns  lighted,  the 
planks  set  leaning  in  their  places,  and  until  eleven 
o'clock  we  did  nothing  but  unload  wine,  roll  down 
casks,  let  them  down  with  my  ropes,  and  put  them 
in  their  places. 

Never  had  I  worked  as  I  did  on  that  day! 

Not  before  eleven  o'clock  did  Cousin  George,  see- 


24  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

ing  everything  settled  to  his  satisfaction,  seem 
pleased;  he  tapped  the  first  cask,  filled  a  jug  with 
wine,  and  said,  "  Now,  mates,  come  up ;  we  will 
have  a  good  draught,  and  then  we  will  get  to 
bed." 

The  cellar  was  shut  up,  so  we  drank  in  the  large 
parlor,  and  then  all,  one  after  another,  went  home 
to  bed,  upon  the  stroke  of  midnight. 

All  the  villagers  were  astonished  to  see  how  these 
Parisians  worked:  they  were  all  the  talk.  At  one 
time  it  was  how  cousin  had  bought  up  all  the  manure 
at  the  gendarmerie ;  then  how  he  had  made  a  con- 
tract to  have  all  his  land  drained  in  the  autumn;  and 
then  how  he  was  going  to  build  a  stable  and  a  laun- 
dry at  the  back  of  his  house,  and  a  distillery  at  the 
end  of  his  yard:  he  was  enlarging  his  cellars,  al- 
ready the  finest  in  the  country.  What  a  quantity 
of  money  he  must  have! 

If  he  had  not  paid  his  architect,  the  carpenters, 
and  the  masons  cash  down,  it  would  have  been  de- 
clared that  he  was  ruining  himself.  But  he  never 
wanted  a  penny;  and  his  solicitor  always  addressed 
him  with  a  smiling  face,  raising  his  hat  from  afar 
off,  and  calling  him  "  my  dear  Monsieur  Weber." 

One  single  thing  vexed  George :  he  had  requested 
at  the  prefecture,  as  soon  as  he  arrived,  a  license  to 
open  his  public-house  at  the  sign  of  "  The  Pineap- 
ple." He  had  even  written  three  letters  to  Sarre- 
bourg,  but  had  received  no  answer.  Morning  and 
evening,  seeing  me  pass  by  with  my  carts  of  grain 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  25 

and  flour,  he  called  to  me  through  the  window, 
"  Hallo,  Christian,  this  way  just  a  minute !  " 

He  never  talked  of  anything  else;  he  even  came 
to  tease  me  at  the  mayoralty-house,  to  indorse  and 
seal  his  letters  with  attestations  as  to  his  good  life 
and  character;  and  yet  no  answer  came. 

One  evening,  as  I  was  busy  signing  the  registra- 
tion of  the  reports  drawn  up  in  the  week  by  the 
school-master,  he  came  in  and  said,  "  Nothing  yet?  " 

"  Cousin,  I  don't  know  the  meaning  of  it." 

"  Very  well,"  said  he,  sitting  before  my  desk. 
"  Give  me  some  paper.  Let  me  write  for  once,  and 
then  we  will  see." 

He  was  pale  with  excitement,  and  began  to  write, 
reading  it  as  he  went  on : 

"  MONSIEUR  LE  SOUS-PREFET, — I  have  requested 
of  you  a  license  to  open  a  public-house  at  Rothalp. 
I  have  even  had  the  honor  of  writing  you  three  let- 
ters upon  the  subject,  and  you  have  given  me  no  an- 
swer. Answer  me — yes  or  no !  When  people  are 
paid,  and  well  paid,  they  ought  to  fulfil  their  duty. 

"  Monsieur  le  Sous-prefet,  I  have  the  honor  to 

salute  you. 

"  GEORGE  WEBER, 
"  Late  Sergeant  of  Marines" 

Hearing  this  letter,  my  hair  positively  stood  on 
end. 

"  Cousin,  don't  send  that,"  said  I;  "  the  sous- 
pref  et  would  very  likely  put  you  under  arrest." 


26  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

"  Pooh !  "  said  he,  "  you  country  people,  you 
seem  to  look  upon  these  folks  as  if  they  were  demi- 
gods ;  yet  they  live  upon  our  money.  It  is  we  who 
pay  them:  they  are  for  our  service,  and  nothing 
more.  Here,  Christian,  will  you  put  your  seal  to 
that?" 

Then,  in  spite  of  all  that  my  wife  might  say,  I  re- 
plied, "  George,  for  the  love  of  Heaven,  don't  ask 
me  that.  I  should  most  assuredly  lose  my  place." 

"  What  place?  Your  place  as  mayor,"  said  he, 
"  in  which  you  receive  the  commands  of  the  sous- 
prefet,  who  receives  the  commands  of  the  prefet, 
who  receives  the  orders  of  a  Minister,  who  does 
everything  that  our  honest  man  bids  him.  I  had 
rather  be  a  ragman  than  fill  such  a  place." 

The  school-master,  who  happened  to  be  there, 
seemed  as  if  he  had  suddenly  dropped  from  the 
clouds;  his  arms  hung  down  the  sides  of  his  chair, 
and  he  gazed  at  my  cousin  with  big  eyes,  just  as  a 
man  stares  at  a  dangerous  lunatic. 

I,  too,  was  sitting  upon  thorns  on  hearing  such 
words  as  these  in  the  mayoralty-house ;  but  at  last  I 
told  him  I  had  rather  go  myself  to  Sarrebourg  and 
ask  for  the  permission  than  seal  that  letter. 

"  Then  we  will  go  together,"  said  he. 

But  I  felt  sure  that  if  he  spoke  after  this  fashion 
to  Monsieur  le  Sous-prefet,  he  would  lay  hands  upon 
both  of  us;  and  I  said  that  I  should  go  alone,  be- 
cause his  presence  would  put  a  constraint  upon  me. 

"  Very  well,"  he  said;  "  but  you  will  tell  me 


STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  27 

everything  that  the  sous-prefet  has  been  saying  to 
you." 

lie  tore  up  his  letter,  and  we  went  out  together. 

I  don't  remember  that  I  ever  passed  a  worse  night 
than  that.  My  wife  kept  repeating  to  me  that  our 
Cousin  George  had  the  precedence  over  the  sous- 
prcfet,  who  only  laughed  at  us;  that  the  Emperor, 
too,  had  cousins,  who  wanted  to  inherit  everything 
from  him,  and  that  everybody  ought  to  stick  to  their 
own  belongings. 

Next  day,  when  I  left  for  Sarrebourg,  my  head 
was  in  a  whirl  of  confusion,  and  I  thought  that  my 
cousin  and  his  wife  would  have  done  well  to  have 
stayed  in  Paris  rather  than  come  and  trouble  us 
when  we  were  at  peace,  when  every  man  paid  his 
own  rates  and  taxes,  when  everybody  voted  as  they 
liked  at  the  prefecture.  I  could  say  that  never  was 
a  loud  word  spoken  at  the  public-house ;  that  people 
attended  with  regularity  both  mass  and  vespers ;  that 
the  gendarmes  never  visited  our  village  more  than 
once  a  week  to  preserve  order;  and  that  I  myself  was 
treated  with  consideration  and  respect:  when  I 
spoke  but  a  word,  honest  men  said,  "  That's  the 
truth;  that's  the  opinion  of  Monsieur  le  Maire!  " 

Yes,  all  these  things  and  many  more  passed 
through  my  mind,  and  I  should  have  liked  to  see 
Cousin  George  at  Jericho. 

This  is  just  how  we  were  in  our  village,  and  I 
don't  know  even  yet  by  what  means  other  people 
had  made  such  fools  of  us.  In  the  end,  we  have 


28  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

had  to  pay  dearly  for  it;  and  our  children  ought  to 
learn  wisdom  by  it. 

At  Sarrebourg,  I  had  to  wait  two  hours  before  I 
could  see  Monsieur  le  Sous-prefet,  who  was  break- 
fasting with  messieurs  the  councillors  of  the  arron- 
dissement,  in  honor  of  the  Plebiscite.  Five  or  six 
mayors  of  the  neighborhood  were  waiting  like  my- 
self; we  saw  filing  down  the  passage  great  dishes  of 
fish  and  game,  notwithstanding  that  the  fishing  and 
shooting  seasons  were  over;  and  then  baskets  of 
wine;  and  we  could  hear  our  councillors  laughing, 
"Ha!  ha!  ha!  "  They  were  enjoying  themselves 
mightily. 

At  last  Monsieur  le  Sous-prefet  came  out;  he  had 
had  an  excellent  breakfast. 

"  Ha!  is  that  you,  gentlemen?  "  said  he;  "  come 
in,  come  into  the  office." 

And  for  another  quarter  of  an  hour  we  were  left 
standing  in  the  office.  Then  came  Monsieur  le 
Sous-prefet  to  get  rid  of  the  mayors,  who  wanted 
different  things  for  their  villages.  He  looked  de- 
lighted, and  granted  everything.  At  last,  having 
despatched  the  rest,  he  said  to  me,  "  Oh !  Monsieur 
le  Maire,  I  know  the  object  of  your  coming.  You 
are  come  to  ask,  for  the  person  called  George  Weber, 
authorization  to  open  a  public-house  at  Rothalp. 
Well,  it's  out  of  the  question.  That  George  Weber 
is  a  Republican;  he  has  already  offered  opposition 
to  the  Plebiscite.  You  ought  to  have  notified  this 
to  me:  you  have  screened  him  because  he  is  your 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  29 

cousin.  Authorizations  to  keep  public-houses  are 
granted  to  steady  men,  devoted  to  his  Majesty  the 
Emperor,  and  who  keep  a  watch  over  their  custom- 
ers; but  they  are  never  granted  to  men  who  require 
watching  themselves.  You  should  be  aware  of 
that." 

Then  I  perceived  that  my  rascally  deputy,  that 
miserable  Placiard,  had  denounced  us.  That  old 
dry-bones  did  nothing  but  draw  up  perpetual  peti- 
tions, begging  for  places,  pensions,  tobacco  excise 
offices,  decorations  for  himself  and  his  honorable 
family ;  speaking  incessantly  of  his  services,  his  de- 
votion to  the  dynasty,  and  his  claims.  His  claims 
were  the  denunciations,  the  informations  which  he 
laid  before  the  sous-prefecture  ;  and,  to  tell  the 
truth,  in  those  days  these  were  the  most  valid  claims 
of  all. 

I  was  indignant,  but  I  said  nothing;  I  simply 
added  a  few  words  in  favor  of  Cousin  George,  assur- 
ing Monsieur  le  Sous-prefet  that  lies  had  been  told 
about  him,  that  one  should  not  believe  everything, 
etc.  He  half  concealed  a  weary  yawn;  and  as  the 
councillors  of  the  arrondissement  were  laughing  in 
the  garden,  he  rose  and  said  politely,  "  Monsieur  10 
Maire,  you  have  your  answer.  Besides,  you  already 
have  two  public-houses  in  your  village ;  three  would 
be  too  many." 

It  was  useless  to  stay  after  that,  so  I  made  a  bow, 
at  which  he  seemed  pleased,  and  returned  quietly  to 
Rothalp.  The  same  evening  I  went  to  repeat  to 


30  STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

George,  word  for  word,  the  answer  of  the  sous-pre- 
f et.  Instead  of  getting  angry,  as  I  expected,  my 
cousin  listened  calmly.  His  wife  only  cried  out 
against  that  bad  lot — she  spoke  of  all  the  sous-pre- 
fets  in  the  most  disrespectful  manner.  But  my 
cousin,  smoking  his  pipe  after  supper,  took  it  all  very 
easily. 

"  Just  listen  to  me,  Christian,"  said  he.  "  In 
the  first  place,  I  am  much  obliged  to  you  for  the 
trouble  you  have  taken.  All  that  you  tell  me  I 
knew  beforehand ;  but  I  am  not  sorry  to  know  it  for 
certain.  Yet  I  could  wish  that  the  sous-prefet  had 
had  my  letter.  As  it  is,  since  I  am  refused  a  license 
to  sell  a  few  glasses  of  wine  retail,  I  will  sell  wine 
wholesale.  I  have  already  a  stock  of  white  wine, 
and  no  later  than  to-morrow  I  am  off  to  Nancy.  I 
buy  a  light  cart  and  a  good  horse ;  thence  I  drive  to 
Thiancourt,  where  I  lay  in  a  stock  of  red  wine.  Af- 
ter that  I  rove  right  and  left  all  over  the  country, 
and  I  sell  my  wine  by  the  cask  or  the  quarter-cask, 
according  to  the  solvency  of  my  customers :  instead 
of  having  one  public-house,  I  will  have  twenty.  I 
must  keep  moving.  With  an  inn,  Marie  Anne 
would  still  have  been  obliged  to  cook;  she  has  quite 
enough  to  do  without  that." 

"  Oh!  yes,"  she  said;  "  for  thirty  years  I  have 
been  cooking  dishes  of  sauerkraut  and  sausage  at 
Krantheimer's,  at  Montmartre,  and  at  Auber's,  in 
the  cloister  St.  Benoit." 

"  Exactly  so,"  said  George;  "  and  now  you  shall 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  3I 

cook  no  longer;  but  you  shall  look  after  the  crops, 
the  stacking  of  the  hay,  the  storage  of  fruit  and  pota- 
toes. We  shall  get  in  our  dividends,  and  I  will  trot 
round  the  country  with  my  little  pony  from  village 
to  village.  Monsieur  le  Sous-prefet  shall  know  that 
George  Weber  can  live  without  him." 

Hearing  this,  I  learned  that  they  had  money  in 
the  funds,  besides  all  the  rest;  and  I  reflected  that 
my  cousin  was  quite  right  to  laugh  at  all  the  sous- 
prefets  in  the  world. 

He  came  with  me  to  the  door,  shaking  hands  with 
me;  and  I  said  to  myself  that  it  was  abominable  to 
have  refused  a  publican's  license  to  respectable  per- 
sons, when  they  gave  it  to  such  men  as  Nicolas 
Reiter  arid  Jean  Kreps,  whom  their  own  wives 
called  their  best  customers  because  they  dropped 
under  the  table  every  evening  and  had  to  be  car- 
ried to  bed. 

On  the  other  hand,  I  saw  that  it  was  better  for  me ; 
for  if  my  cousin  had  been  found  infringing  the  law, 
I  should  have  had  to  take  depositions,  and  there 
would  have  been  a  quarrel  with  Cousin  George.  So 
that  all  was  for  the  best;  the  wholesale  business  be- 
ing only  the  exciseman's  affair. 

What  George  had  said,  he  did  next  day.  At  six 
o'clock  he  was  already  at  the  station,  and  in  five  or 
six  days  he  had  returned  from  Nancy  upon  his  own 
char-a-banc,  drawn  by  a  strong  horse,  five  or  six 
years  old,  in  its  prime.  The  char-a-banc  was  a  new 
one;  a  tilt  could  be  put  up  in  wet  weather,  which 


32 


STORY   OF   THE    PLEBISCITE 


could  be  raised  or  lowered  when  necessary  to  deliver 
the  wine  or  receive  back  the  empty  casks. 

The  wine  from  Thiancourt  followed.  George 
stored  it  immediately,  after  having  paid  the  bill  and 
settled  with  the  carter.  I  was  standing  by. 

As  for  telling  you  how  many  casks  he  had  then  in 
the  house,  that  would  be  difficult  without  examining 
his  books;  but  not  a  wine-merchant  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, not  even  in  town,  could  boast  of  such  a 
vault  of  wine  as  he  had,  for  excellence  of  quality, 
for  variety  in  price,  both  red  and  white,  of  Alsace 
and  Lorraine. 

About  that  time,  my  cousin  sent  for  me  and  Jacob 
to  make  a  list  of  safe  customers.  He  wrote  on,  ask- 
ing us,  "  How  much  may  I  give  to  So-and-So?  " 

"  So  much." 

"  How  much  to  that  man?  " 

"  So  much." 

In  the  course  of  a  single  afternoon  we  had  passed 
in  review  all  the  innkeepers  and  publicans  from 
Droulingen  to  Quatre  Vents,  from  Quatre  Vents  to 
the  Dagsberg.  Jacob  and  I  knew  what  they  were 
worth  to  the  last  penny ;  for  the  man  who  pays  read- 
ily for  his  flour,  pays  well  for  his  wine;  and  those 
who  want  pulling  up  by  the  miller  are  in  no  hurry  to 
open  their  purses  to  the  others. 

That  was  the  way  Cousin  George  conducted  his 
business. 

He  took  a  lad  from  our  place,  the  son  of  the 
cooper  Gros,  to  drive;  and  he  himself  was  salesman. 


STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  33 

From  that  day  he  was  only  seen  passing  through 
Rothalp  at  a  quick  trot,  his  lad  loading  and  unload- 
ing. 

My  cousin,  also,  had  a  notion  of  distilling  in  the 
winter.  He  bought  up  a  quantity  of  old  second- 
hand barrels  to  hold  the  fruits  which  he  hoped  to 
secure  at  a  cheap  rate  in  autumn,  and  laid  up  a  great 
store  of  firewood.  Our  country  people  had  nothing 
to  do  but  to  look  at  him  to  learn  something;  but  the 
people  down  our  way  all  think  themselves  so  amaz- 
ingly clever,  and  that  does  not  help  to  make  folks 
richer. 

Well,  it  is  plain  to  you  that  our  cousin's  prospects 
were  looking  very  bright.  Every  day,  returning 
from  his  journey  to  Saverne  or  to  Phalsbourg,  he 
would  stop  his  cart  before  my  door,  and  come  to  see 
me  in  the  mill,  crying  out:  "Hallo!  good  after- 
noon, Christian.  How  are  you  to-day?  " 

Then  we  used  to  step  into  the  back  parlor,  on  ac- 
count of  the  noise  and  the  dust,  and  we  talked 
about  the  price  of  corn,  cattle,  provender,  and 
everything  that  is  interesting  to  people  in  our  con- 
dition. 

What  astonished  him  most  of  all  was  the  number 
of  Germans  to  be  met  with  in  the  mountains  and  in 
the  plains. 

"I  see  nobody  else,"    said  he;    "wood-cutters, 
brewers'  men,  coopers,  tinkers,  photographers,  con- 
tractors.    I  will  lay  a  wager,  Christian,  that,  your 
young  man  Frantz  is  a  German,  too." 
3 


34  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

"  Yes;  he  comes  from  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Ba- 
den." 

"How  does  this  happen?"  asked  George. 
"  What  is  the  meaning  of  it  all?  " 

"  They  are  good  workmen,"  said  I,  "  and  they 
ask  only  half  the  wages." 

"  And  ours — what  becomes  of  them?  " 

"  Ah,  you  see,  Cousin  George,  that  is  their  busi- 
ness." 

"  I  understand,"  he  said,  ."  that  we  are  making 
a  great  mistake.  Even  in  Paris,  this  crowd  of  Ger- 
mans— crossing-sweepers,  shop  and  warehousemen, 
carters,  book-keepers,  professors  of  every  kind — 
astonished  me ;  and  since  Sadowa,  there  are  twice  as 
many.  The  more  territory  they  annex,  the  farther 
they  extend  their  view.  Where  is  the  advantage  of 
our  being  Frenchmen — paying  every  year  heavier 
taxes;  sending  our  children  to  be  drawn  for  the 
conscription,  and  paying  for  their  exemption ;  bear- 
ing all  the  expenses  of  the  State,  all  the  insults  of  the 
prefets,  the  sous-prefets,  and  the  police-inspectors, 
and  the  annoyances  of  common  spies  and  informers, 
if  those  fellows,  who  have  nothing  at  all  to  bear,  en- 
joy the  same  advantages  with  ourselves,  and  even 
greater  ones;  since  our  own  people  are  sent  off  to 
make  room  for  these,  who  by  their  great  numbers 
lower  the  price  of  hand-labor?  This  benefits  the 
manufacturers,  the  contractors,  the  bourgeois  class, 
but  it  is  misery  for  the  mass  of  the  people.  I  cannot 
understand  it  at  all.  Our  rulers,  up  there,  must  be 


STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  35 

losing  their  senses.  If  that  goes  on,  the  working- 
men  will  cease  to  care  for  their  country,  since  it 
cares  so  little  for  them;  and  the  Germans  who  are 
favored,  and  who  hate  us,  will  quietly  put  us  out  of 
our  o\vn  doors." 

Thus  spoke  my  cousin,  and  I  knew  not  what  an- 
Bwer  to  make. 

But  about  this  time  I  had  a  great  trouble,  and  al- 
though this  affair  is  my  private  business  alone,  I 
must  tell  you  about  it. 

Since  the  arrival  of  George,  my  daughter  Gredel, 
instead  of  looking  after  our  business  as  she  used  to 
do,  washing  clothes,  milking  cows,  and  so  on,  was  all 
the  blessed  day  at  Marie  Anne's.  Jacob  com- 
plained, and  said:  "  What  is  she  about  down  there? 
By  and  by  I  shall  have  to  prepare  the  clothes  for  the 
wash  and  hang  them  upon  the  hedges  to  dry,  and 
churn  butter.  Cannot  Gredel  do  her  own  work? 
Does  she  think  we  are  her  servants?  " 

He  was  right.  But  Gredel  never  troubled  her- 
self. She  never  has  thought  of  any  one  besides  her- 
self. She  was  down  there  along  with  George's  wife, 
who  talked  to  her  from  morning  till  night  about 
Paris,  the  grand  squares,  the  markets,  the  price 
of  eggs  and  of  meat,  what  was  charged  at  the  bar- 
rieres;  of  this,  that,  and  the  other:  cooking,  and 
what  not. 

Marie  Anne  wanted  company.  But  this  did  not 
suit  me  at  all ;  and  the  less  because  Gredel  had  had 
a  lover  in  the  village  for  some  time,  and  when 


36  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

this  is  the  case,  the  best  thing  to  be  done  is  always 
to  keep  your  daughter  at  home  and  watch  her 
closely. 

It  was  only  a  common  clerk  at  a  stone-quarry  in 
Wilsberg,  a  late  artillery  sergeant,  Jean  Baptiste 
Werner,  who  had  taken  the  liberty  to  cast  his  eyes 
upon  our  daughter.  We  had  nothing  to  say  against 
this  young  man.  He  was  a  fine,  tall  man,  thin,  with 
a  bold  expression  and  brown  mustaches,  and  who 
did  his  duty  very  well  at  the  quarry  by  Father 
Heitz;  but  he  could  earn  no  more  than  his  three 
francs  a  day :  and  any  one  may  see  that  the  daughter 
of  Christian  Weber  was  not  to  be  thrown  away  upon 
a  man  who  earns  three  francs  a  day.  No,  that 
would  never  do. 

Nevertheless,  I  had  often  seen  this  Jean  Baptiste 
Werner  going  in  the  morning  to  his  work  with  his 
foot-rule  under  his  arm,  stopping  at  the  mill-dam,  as 
if  to  watch  the  geese  and  the  ducks  paddling  about 
the  sluice  or  the  hens  circling  around  the  cock  on  the 
dunghill ;  and  at  the  same  moment  Gredel  would  be 
slowly  combing  her  hair  at  her  window  before  the 
little  looking-glass,  leaning  her  head  outside.  I  had 
also  noticed  that  they  said  good-morning  to  each 
other  a  good  way  off,  and  that  that  clerk  always 
looked  excited  and  flurried  at  the  sight  of  my  daugh- 
ter; and  I  had  even  been  obliged  to  give  Gredel 
notice  to  go  and  comb  her  hair  somewhere  else  when 
that  man  passed,  or  to  shut  her  window. 

This  is  my  case,  simply  told. 


OR£DEL  WOULD  BE  SLOWLY  COMBING  HER  HAIR  AT  HER 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  37 

That  young  man  worried  me.  My  wife,  too,  was 
on  her  guard. 

You  may  now  understand  why  I  should  have  pre- 
ferred to  have  seen  our  daughter  at  home;  but  it 
was  not  so  easy  to  forbid  her  to  go  to  my  cousin's. 
George  and  his  wife  might  have  been  angry;  and 
that  troubled  us. 

Fortunately  about  that  time  the  eldest  son  of 
Father  Ileitz,*  the  owner  of  the  quarry,  asked  for 
Gredel  in  marriage. 

For  a  long  while,  Monsieur  Mathias  Heitz,  junior, 
had  come  every  Sunday  from  Wilsberg  to  the  "  Cru- 
chon  d'Or,"'to  amuse  himself  with  Jacob,  as  young 
men  do  when  they  have  intentions  with  regard  to  a 
family.  He  was  a  fine  young  man,  fat,  with  red 
cheeks  and  ears,  and  always  well  dressed,  with  a 
flowered  velvet  waistcoat,  and  seals  to  his  watch- 
chain;  in  a  word,  just  such  a  young  man  as  a  girl 
with  any  good  sense  would  be  glad  to  have  for  a  hus- 
band. 

He  had  property  too;  he  was  the  eldest  of  five 
children.  I  reckoned  that  his  own  share  might  be 
fifteen  to  twenty  thousand  francs  after  the  death  of 
his  parents. 

Well,  this  young  man  demanded  Gredel  in  mar- 
riage, and  at  once  Jacob,  my  wife,  and  myself  were 
agreed  to  accept  him. 

Only  my  wife  thought  that  we  ought  to  consult 

*  It  is  usual  there  for  fathers  of  families  to  be  distinguished 
as  Father  So-and-So. 


38  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

Cousin  George  and  Marie  Anne.  Gredel  was  just 
there  when  I  went  in  with  Catherine;  but  behold! 
on  the  first  mention  of  the  thing  she  began  to  melt 
into  tears,  and  to  say  she  would  rather  die  than 
marry  Mathias  Heitz.  You  may  imagine  how 
angry  we  were.  My  wife  was  going  to  slap  her  face 
or  box  her  ears  5  but  my  cousin  became  angry  now, 
and  told  us  that  we  ought  never  to  oblige  a  girl  to 
marry  against  her  will,  because  this  was  the  way  to 
make  miserable  households.  Then  he  led  us  out  in- 
to the  passage,  telling  us  that  he  took  the  responsi- 
bility of  this  affair:  that  he  wished  to  obtain  infor- 
mation, and  that  we  were  to  tell  the  young  man  that 
we  required  a  month  for  reflection. 

We  could  not  refuse  him  that.  Gredel  would  no 
longer  come  home ;  my  cousin's  wife  begged  us  not 
to  plague  her,  and  we  had  to  give  way  to  them;  but 
it  was  one  of  the  greatest  troubles  of  my  life.  And 
I  thought :  "  Now  you  cannot  give  your  daughter 
to  whoever  you  like;  is  not  this  really  abominable?  " 

I  felt  angry  with  myself  for  having  listened  to 
my  cousin:  but,  nevertheless,  Gredel  stayed  with 
them  a  whole  week,  in  consequence  of  which  we 
were  obliged  to  hire  a  charwoman;  and  Jacob  ex- 
claimed that  Gredel  could  not  have  offered  him  a 
worse  insult  than  to  refuse  his  best  comrade,  a  rich 
fellow,  who  boldly  paid  down  his  money  for  ten, 
fifteen,  and  twenty  bottles  at  the  club  without  wink- 
ing. 

However,    he   never   mentioned   it   to    Cousin 


STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  39 

George,  for  whom  he  felt  the  greatest  respect  on  ac- 
count of  his  expectations  from  him,  and  whose 
strong  language  dismayed  him. 

At  last  my  wife  found-that  Gredel  was  staying  too 
long  away  from  home;  the  people  of  the  village 
would  talk  about  it;  so  one  evening  I  went  to  see 
George,  to  ask  him  what  he  had  learned  about 
Heitz's  son. 

It  was  after  supper.  Gredel,  seeing  me  come  in, 
slipped  out  into  the  kitchen,  and  my  cousin  said  to 
me  frankly:  "  Listen,  Christian:  here  is  the  matter 
in  two  words — Gredel  loves  another." 

"Whom?" 

"  Jean  Baptiste  Werner." 

"  Father  Heitz's  clerk?  the  son  of  the  woodward 
Werner,  who  has  never  had  anything  but  potatoes 
to  eat?  Is  she  in  love  with  him?  *Let  the  wretch 
come — let  him  come  and  ask  her!  I'll  kick  him 
down  the  stairs!  And  Gredel  to  grieve  me  so? 
Oh!  I  should  never  have  believed  it  of  her!  " 

I  could  have  cried. 

"  Come,  Christian,"  said  my  cousin,  "  you  must 
be  reasonable." 

"Reasonable!  she  deserves  to  have  her  neck 
wrung!  " 

I  was  in  a  fury;  I  wanted  to  lay  hold  on  her. 
Happily,  she  had  gone  into  the  garden,  and  George 
held  me  back.  He  obliged  me  to  sit  down  again, 
and  said:  "  What  is  Mathias  Heitz?  a  fat  fool  who 
knows  nothing  but  how  to  play  at  cards  and  drink. 


40  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

He  was  put  to  college  at  Phalsbourg,  at  M.  Verrot'a, 
like  all  the  other  respectable  young  men  in  the  dis- 
trict ,  but  he  now  drives  about  in  a  char-a-banc  in  a 
flowered  waistcoat,  with  jingling  seals:  he  could 
not  possibly  earn  a  couple  of  pence — and  the  old 
man  would  like  to  be  rid  of  him  by  marrying  him. 
I  have  obtained  information  about  him.  He  may 
come  in  for  from  fifteen  to  twenty  thousand  francs 
some  day;  but  what  are  fifteen  thousand  francs  for 
an  ass?  He  will  eat  them,  he  will  drink  them — per- 
haps he  has  already  swallowed  half — and  if  there  is 
a  family,  what  are  fifteen  or  even  twenty  thousand 
francs  between  five  or  six  children?  Formerly, 
when  girls  used  to  have  an  outfit  for  a  marriage  por- 
tion, and  the  eldest  son  succeeded  his  father,  things 
went  on  pretty  well.  It  did  not  want  much  talent 
to  carry  on  a  well-established  business,  or  to  follow 
up  a  trade  from  father  to  son.  But  at  the  present 
day,  mother-wit  and  good  sense  stand  in  the  foremost 
rank.  Grandfather  Heitz  was  an  industrious  man; 
he  made  money;  but  Father  Mathias  has  never 
added  a  sou  to  his  property,  and  the  son  has  not  a 
grain  of  good  sense." 

"  But  the  other  fellow — why  he  has  nothing  at 
all." 

"  The  other,  Jean  Baptiste  Werner,  is  a  good 
man,  who  has  done  his  duty  by  Father  Heitz;  he 
knows  everything,  manages  everything,  takes  in  or- 
ders, makes  all  the  arrangements  for  the  carriage  of 
stone  by  carts  or  by  railway.  Heitz  puts  the  money 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  41 

into  his  pocket,  and  Werner  has  all  the  work,  for 
want  of  a  little  capital  to  set  himself  up  in  business. 
He  has  seen  foreign  service.  I  have  seen  his  certifi- 
cates of  character  in  Africa,  in  Mexico:  they  are 
excellent.  If  I  were  in  your  place,  I  would  give 
Gredel  to  him." 

"  Never!  "  cried  I,  thumping  upon  the  table  ; 
"  I  had  rather  drown  her." 

Half  the  wine-glasses  were  shattered  on  the  floor; 
but  my  cousin  was  not  angry. 

"  Well,  Christian,"  said  he,  "  you  are  wrong. 
Think  it  over.  Gredel  will  remain  here.  I  will 
answer  for  her.  You  must  not  take  her  away  at 
present.  You  would  be  very  likely  to  ill-treat  her, 
and  then  you  would  repent  of  it." 

"  Let  her  stay  as  long  as  you  like!  "  said  I,  taking 
up  my  hat;  "  let  her  never  darken  my  doors  again." 
And  I  rushed  out. 

Never  in  my  life  had  I  been  so  angry  and  so 
grieved.  At  home  I  did  not  even  dare  to  say  what 
I  had  learned ;  but  Jacob  suspected  it,  and  one  day, 
as  Werner  was  stopping  in  front  of  the  mill,  he 
shook  his  pitchfork  at  him,  shouting:  "  Come  on!  " 
But  Werner  pretended  not  to  hear  him,  and  went  on 
his  way. 

I  was  at  last,  however,  obliged  to  tell  my  wife  the 
whole  matter.  At  first  she  was  near  fainting;  but 
she  soon  recovered,  and  said  to  me:  "  Well,  if  Gre- 
del won't  have  young  Mathias,  we  shall  keep  our 
hundred  louis,  and  we  shall  have  no  need  to  hire  a 


42  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

new  servant.  I  should  prefer  that,  for  one  cannot 
trust  strange  servants  in  a  house." 

"  Yes;  but  how  c'an  we  declare  to  Mathias  Heitz 
that  Gredel  refuses  his  son?  " 

"  Oh,  don't  trouble  yourself,  Christian,"  said  she; 
"  leave  me  alone,  and  don't  let  us  quarrel  with 
Cousin  George:  that's  the  principal  thing.  I  will 
say  that  Gredel  is  too  young  to  be  married ;  that  is 
the  proper  thing  to  say,  and  nobody  can  answer 
that." 

Catherine  quieted  me  in  this  way.  But  this  busi- 
ness was  still  racking  my  brain,  when  extraordinary 
things  came  to  pass,  which  we  were  far  from  expect- 
ing, and  which  were  to  turn  our  hair  gray,  and  that 
of  many  others  with  us. 


CHAPTER  in 

OXE  morning  the  secretary  of  the  sous-prefet 
wrote  to  me  to  come  to  Sarrebourg.  From  time 
to  time  we  used  to  receive  orders,  as  magistrates, 
to  go  and  give  an  account  at  the  sous-prefecture 
of  what  was  going  on  in  our  district. 

I  said  to  myself,  immediately  on  receiving  this 
letter  from  Secretary  Gerard,  that  it  was  something 
about  our  Agricultural  Society,  which  had  not  yet 
delivered  the  prizes  gained  by  the  ducks  and  the 
geese  a  few  weeks  before. 

It  was  true  that  the  Paris  newspapers  had  for 
three  days  past  been  discussing  a  Prince  of  Hohen- 
zollern,  who  had  just  been  named  King  of  Spain; 
but  what  could  that  signify  to  us  at  Rothalp,  II- 
lingen,  Droulingen,  and  Henridorf,  whether  the 
King  of  Spain  was  called  Hohenzollern  or  by  any 
other  name? 

In  my  opinion,  it  could  not  be  about  that  affair 
that  Monsieur  le  Sous-prefet  wanted  to  talk  to  us, 
but  about  the  old  or  a  new  Agricultural  Society, 
or  something  at  least  which  concerned  us  in  partic- 
ular. The  idea  of  the  parish  road  and  the  bells 
came  also  into  my  mind;  perhaps  that  was  the  ob- 
ject we  were  sent  for. 


44  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

At  last  I  took  up  my  staff  and  started  for  Sarre* 
bourg. 

Arriving  there,  I  found  the  whole  length  of  the 
principal  street  crowded  with  mayors,  police-in- 
specters,  and  juycs-dc-paix*  Mother  Adler's  inn 
and  all  the  little  public-houses  were  so  full  that 
they  could  not  have  held  another  customer. 

Then  I  said  to  myself,  no  doubt  something  quite 
new  is  in  the  wind:  as,  for  instance;  a  fete  like 
that  when  her  Majesty  the  Empress  and  the  Prince 
Imperial,  three  years  before,  passed  through  Nancy 
to  celebrate  the  union  of  Lorraijie  with  France. 
Thereupon  I  went  to  the  sous-prefecture,  where  I 
found  already  several  mayors  of  the  neighborhood 
talking  at  the  door.  They  were  discussing  the  price 
of  corn,  the  high  price  of  cattle  food;  they  were 
called  in  one  after  another. 

In  half  an  hour  my  turn  came;  Monsieur  Chris- 
tian Weber's  name  was  called,  and  I  entered  with 
my  hat  in  my  hand. 

Monsieur  le  Sous-prefet  with  his  secretary  Ge- 
rard, with  his  pen  stuck  behind  his  ear,  were  seated 
there:  the  secretary  began  to  mend  his  pen;  and 
Monsieur  le  Sous-prefet  asked  me  what  was  going 
on  in  my  part  of  the  country? 

"  In  our  country,  Monsieur  le  Sous-prefet?  why, 
nothing  at  all.  There  is  a  great  drought;  no  rain 
has  fallen  for  six  weeks;  the  potatoes  are  very 
small,  and  .  .  ." 

*  Magistrates. 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  45 

"  I  don't  mean  that,  Monsieur  le  Maire :  what 
do  they  think  of  the  Prince  Hohenzollern  and  the 
Crown  of  Spain  ?  " 

On  hearing  this  I  scratched  my  head,  saying  to 
myself,  "  What  will  you  answer  to  that  now? 
"What  must  you  say?  " 

Then  Monsieur  le  Sous-prefet  asked:  "  What  is 
the  spirit  of  your  population?  " 

The  spirit  of  our  population?  How  could  I  get 
out  of  that? 

"  You  see,  Monsieur  le  Sous-prefet,  in  our  vil- 
lages the  people  are  no  scholars;  they  don't  read 
the  papers." 

"  But  tell  me,  what  do  they  think  of  the  war? " 

"  What  war?  " 

"  If,  now,  we  should  have  war  with  Germany, 
would  those  people  be  satisfied?  " 

Then  I  began  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  his  mean- 
ing, and  I  said :  "  You  know,  Monsieur  le  Sous- 
prefet,  that  we  have  voted  in  the  Plebiscite  to  have 
peace,  because  everybody  likes  trade  and  business 
and  quietness  at  home;  we  only  want  to  have  work 
and  .  .  ." 

"  Of  course,  of  course,  that  is  plain  enough ;  we 
all  want  peace:  his  Majesty  the  Emperor,  and  her 
Majesty  the  Empress,  and  everybody  love  peace! 
But  if  we  are  attacked :  if  Count  Bismarck  and  the 
King  of  Prussia  attack  us?  " 

"  Then,  Monsieur  le  Sous-prefet,  we  shall  be. 
obliged  to  defend  ourselves  in  the  best  way  we  can ; 


46  STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

by  all  sorts  of  means,  with  pitchforks,  with 
sticks  ..." 

"  Put  that  down,  Monsieur  Gerard,  write  down 
those  words.  You  are  right,  Monsieur  le  Maire:  I 
felt  sure  of  you  beforehand,"  said  Monsieur  le 
Sous-pref  et,  shaking  hands  with  me :  "  You  are  a 
worthy  man." 

Tears  came  into  my  eyes.  He  came  with  me 
to  the  door,  saying:  "  The  determination  of  your 
people  is  admirable;  tell  them  so:  tell  them  that 
we  wish  for  peace;  that  our  only  thought  is  for 
peace;  that  his  Majesty  and  their  excellencies  the 
Ministers  want  nothing  but  peace;  but  that  France 
cannot  endure  the  insults  of  an  ambitious  power. 
Communicate  your  own  ardor  to  the  village  of  Roth- 
alp.  Good,  very  good.  Au  revoir,  Monsieur  le 
Maire,  farewell." 

Then  I  went  out,  much  astonished;  another 
mayor  took  my  place,  and  I  thought,  "  What!  does 
that  Bismarck  mean  to  attack  us!  Oh,  the  vil- 
lain! " 

But  as  yet  I  could  tell  neither  why  nor  how. 

I  repaired  to  Mother  Adler's,  where  I  ordered 
bread  and  cheese  and  a  bottle  of  white  wine,  ac- 
cording to  custom,  before  returning  home;  and 
there  I  heard  all  those  gentlemen,  the  Government 
officials,  the  controllers,  the  tax-collectors,  the 
judges,  the  receivers,  etc.,  assembled  in  the  public 
room,  telling  one  another  that  the  Prussians  were 
going  to  invade  us;  that  they  had  already  taken 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  47 

half  of  Germany,  and  that  they  were  wanting  now 
to  lay  the  Spaniards  upon  our  back  in  order  to  take 
the  rest:  just  as  they  had  put  Italy  upon  the  back 
of  the  Austrians,  before  Sadowa. 

All  the  mayors  present  were  of  the  same  opin- 
ion; they  all  answered  that  they  would  defend 
themselves,  if  we  were  attacked;  for  the  Lorrain- 
ers  and  the  Alsacians  have  never  been  behindhand 
in  defending  themselves:  all  the  world  knows  that. 

I  went  on  listening;  at  last,  having  paid  my  bill, 
I  started  to  return  home. 

I  went  out  of  Sarrebourg,  and  had  walked  for 
half  an  hour  in  the  dust,  reflecting  upon  what  had 
just  taken  place,  when  I  heard  a  conveyance  com- 
ing at  a  rapid  rate  behind  me.  I  turned  round.  It 
was  Cousin  George  upon  his  char-a-banc,  at  which 
I  was  much  pleased. 

"  Is  that  you,  cousin  ?  "  said  he,  pulling  up. 

"  Yes;  I  am  just  come  from  Sarrebourg,  and  I 
am  not  sorry  to  meet  with  you,  for  it  is  terribly 
warm." 

"  Well,  up  with  you,"  said  he.  "  You  have  had 
a  great  gathering  to-day ;  I  saw  all  the  public-houses 
full."  | 

I  was  up,  I  took  my  seat,  and  the  conveyance 
went  off  again  at  a  trot. 

"Yes,"  said  I;  "  it  is  a  strange  business;  you 
would  never  guess  why  we  have  been  sent  for  to 
the  sous-prefecture." 

"What  for?" 


48 

Then  I  told  him  all  about  it;  being  much  ex- 
cited against  the  villain  Bismarck,  who  wanted  to 
invade  us,  and  had  just  invented  this  Hohenzollern 
pretext  to  drive  us  to  extremities. 

George  listened.  At  last  he  said:  "My  poor 
Christian!  the  sous-prefet  was  quite  right  in  call- 
ing you  a  worthy  fellow ;  and  all  those  other  mayors 
that  I  saw  down  there,  with  their  red  noses,  are 
worthy  men;  but  do  you  know  my  opinion  upon 
all  those  matters  ?  " 

"  What  do  you  think,  George?  " 

"  Well,  my  belief  is,  that  they  are  leading  you 
like  a  string  of  asses  by  the  bridle.  That  sous-pre- 
fet will  present  his  report  to  the  prefet,  the  prefet 
to  the  Minister  of  the  Interior,  Monsieur  Chevandier 
de  Yaldrome, — the  organizer  of  the  Plebiscite — he 
who  told  you  to  vote  '  Yes  '  to  have  peace — and  that 
Minister  will  present  his  report  to  the  Emperor. 
They  all  know  that  the  Emperor  desires  war,  be- 
cause he  needs  it  for  his  dynasty." 

"What!  he  wants  war?" 

"  No  doubt  he  does.  In  spite  of  all,  forty-five 
thousand  soldiers  have  voted  against  the  Plebis- 
cite. The  army  is  turning  round  against  the  dy- 
nasty. There  is  no  more  promotion:  medals, 
crosses,  promotions  were  distributed  in  profusion 
at  first,  now  all  that  has  .stopped;  the  inferior  of- 
ficers have  no  more  hope  of  passing  into  the  higher 
ranks,  because  the  army  is  filled  with  nobles,  with 
Jesuits  from  the  schools  of  the  Sacred  College:  in 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 


49 


the  Court  calendars  nothing  is  seen  but  eZe's.  The 
soldiers,  who  spring  from  the  people,  begin  to  dis- 
cern that  they  are  being  gradually  extinguished: 
they  are  not  in  a  pleasant  temper.  But  war  may 
put  everything  straight  again:  a  few  battles  are 
wanted  to  throw  light  upon  the  malcontents;  there 
must  be  a  victory  to  crush  the  Republicans,  for  the 
Republicans  are  gaining  confidence:  they  are  lift- 
ing up  their  heads.  After  a  victory,  a  few  thou- 
sand of  them  can  be  sent  to  Lambessa  and  to  Cay- 
enne, just  as  after  the  Second  of  December.  At 
the  same  time,  the  Jesuits  will  be  placed  at  the  head 
of  the  schools,  as  they  were  under  Charles  X.,  the 
Pope  will  be  restored,  Italy  and  Germany  will  be 
dismembered,  and  the  dynasty  will  be  placed  on  a 
strong  foundation  for  twenty  years.  Every  twenty 
years  they  will  begin  again,  and  the  dynasty  will 
strike  deep  root.  But  war  there  must  be." 

"  But  what  do  you  mean  ?  It  is  Bismarck  who 
is  beginning  it,"  said  I:  "it  is  he  who  is  picking 
a  German  quarrel." 

"  Bismarck,"  replied  my  cousin,  "  is  well  ac- 
quainted with  everything  that  is  going  on,  and  so 
are  the  very  lowest  workmen  in  Paris;  but  you, 
you  know  nothing  at  all.  Your  only  talk  is  about 
potatoes  and  cabbages:  your  thoughts  never  go  be- 
yond this.  You  are  kept  in  ignorance.  You  are, 
as  it  were,  the  dung  of  the  Empire — the  manure  to 
fatten  the  dynasty.  Bismarck  is  aware  that  our 
honest  man  wants  war,  to  temper  his  army  afresh, 

4 


50  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

and  shut  the  mouths  of  those  whose  talk  is  of  econ- 
omy, liberty,  honor,  and  justice;  he  knows  that 
never  will  Prussia  be  so  strong  again  as  she  is  now 
— she  already  covers  three-fourths  of  Germany;  all 
the  Germans  will  march  at  her  side  to  fight  against 
France:  they  can  put  more  than  a  million  of  men 
in  the  field  in  fifteen  days,  and  they  will  be  three 
or  four  against  one ;  with  such  odds  there  is  no  need 
of  genius,  the  war  will  go  forward  of  itself — they 
are  sure  of  crushing  the  enemy." 

"  But  the  Emperor  must  know  that  as  well  as 
you,  George,"  said  I;  "  therefore  he  will  be  for 
peace." 

"  ]STo,  he  is  relying  upon  his  mitrailleuses :  and 
then  he  wants  to  strengthen  his  dynasty — what 
does  the  rest  matter  to  him?  To  establish  his  dy- 
nasty he  took  an  oath  before  God  and  man  to  the 
Republic,  and  then  he  trampled  upon  his  oath  and 
the  Republic;  he  brought  destruction  upon  thou- 
sands of  good  men,  who  were  defending  the  laws 
against  him;  he  has  enriched  thousands  of  thieves 
who  uphold  him;  he  has  corrupted  our  youth  by 
the  evil  example  of  the  prosperity  of  brigands, 
and  the  misfortunes  of  the  well-disposed;  he  has 
brought  low  everything  that  was  wortny  of  respect, 
he  has  exalted  everything  which  excites  disgust  and 
contempt.  All  the  men  who  have  approached  this 
pestilence  have  been  contaminated,  to  the  very 
marrow  of  their  bones.  You,  Christian,  evidently 
cannot  comprehend  these  abominable  things;  but 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  51 

the  worst  rogues  in  this  country,  the  wildest  vaga- 
bonds among  jour  peasants,  could  never  form  an 
opinion  of  the  villany  of  this  honest  man:  they 
are  saints  compared  with  him;  at  the  very  sight  of 
him  the  heart  of  every  true  Frenchman  rises  up 
against  him:  for  the  sake  of  his  dynasty  he  would 
sell  and  sacrifice  us  all  to  the  last  man." 

George,  in  uttering  these  words,  was  trembling 
with  excitement:  I  saw  that  he  was  convinced  to 
the  bottom  of  his  heart  of  what  he  said.  Fortu- 
nately we  were  alone  on  the  road,  far  from  any 
village;  no  one  could  hear  us. 

"  But  that  Hohenzollern,"  I  said,  after  a  few 
minutes'  silence,  "  that  Leopold  Hohenzollern — is 
not  he  the  cause  of  all  that  is  going  on?  " 

"  No,"  said  George;  "  if  misfortunes  come  upon 
us,  the  honest  man  alone  will  be  the  cause  of  it. 
If  you  did  but  read  a  newspaper,  you  would  see  that 
the  Spaniards  wanted  for  their  king,  Montpensier, 
a  son  of  Louis  Philippe;  that  could  only  have 
turned  out  to  our  good:  Montpensier  would  nat- 
urally have  become  the  ally  of  France.  But  that 
was  against  the  interests  of  the  Napoleon  dynasty; 
so  the  honest  man  threatened  Spain;  then  the 
Spaniards  nominated  this  Prussian  prince  in  the 
place  of  Montpensier;  a  prince  who  could  not  stand 
alone,  but  whom  a  million  of  Germans  would  sup- 
port if  necessary.  They  fixed  upon  him  to  annoy 
our  gentleman;  of  course  they  had  no  need  to  ask 
for  his  advice.  Did  France  consult  any  one?  did 


52  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

she  trouble  herself  about  England,  Spain,  or  Ger- 
many, when  she  proclaimed  the  Republic,  or  when 
she  proclaimed  Louis  Bonaparte  Emperor?  Has 
he  then  a  right  to  thrust  his  nose  into  their  affairs? 
No;  it  is  unpleasant  for  us;  but  the  Spaniards 
were  right ;  there  was  no  need  for  them  to  put  them- 
selves out  to  please  our  worthy  man  and  his  fine 
family.  And  now — happen  what  may — I  look  no 
longer  for  peace;  the  Germans  are  withdrawing 
from  our  country  in  all  directions — they  are  join- 
ing their  regiments;  the  order  has  been  given,  and 
they  obey;  it  is  a  bad  sign.  In  all  the  villages 
that  I  have  been  passing  through,  and  upon  every 
road,  I  have  seen  these  fine  fellows,  their  bundles 
over  their  shoulders — they  are  off  home !  " 

Thus  spoke  Cousin  George  to  me.  I  thought 
this  was  a  little  too  bad;  but,  on  arriving  home, 
the  first  thing  my  wife  said  to  me  was,  "  Do  you 
know  that  Frantz  is  going?  " 

"  Our  young  man?  " 

"  Yes,  he  wants  his  wages." 

"  Ah,  indeed.  Let  him  come  here  at  the  back, 
and  we  will  have  a  talk." 

I  was  much  surprised,  and  I  made  him  come 
into  my  room  at  the  bottom  of  the  mill,  where  I 
keep  my  papers  and  my  books.  His  cow-skin  pack 
was  already  fastened  upon  his  shoulder. 

"  Are  you  going  away,  Erantz  ?  Have  you  any- 
thing to  complain  of? " 

"  No,  nothing  at  all,  Monsieur  Weber.    But  I 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  53 

am  obliged  to  go;  for  I  have  received  orders  to 
join  my  regiment." 

"  Are  you  a  soldier,  then?  " 

"  Yes,  in  the  Landwehr.  We  are  all  soldiers  in 
Germany." 

"  But  if  you  liked  to  stay  here,  who  would  come 
and  fetch  you? " 

"  That  is  an  impossibility,  M.  Weber.  I  should 
be  declared  a  deserter.  I  could  never  return  home 
again.  They  would  take  away  all  my  property, 
present  and  to  come ;  my  brothers  and  sisters  would 
come  in  for  it." 

"  Ah,  that  is  a  different  thing!  Now  I  under- 
stand. There — there's  your  certificate  of  charac- 
ter." 

I  had  written  a  good  certificate  for  him,  for  he 
was  a  good  workman.  I  paid  him  what  I  owed 
him  to  the  last  farthing,  and  wished  him  a  pros- 
perous journey. 

Cousin  George  was  right;  those  Germans  were 
all  moving  homeward.  You  would  never  have 
thought  there  were  so  many  in  the  country;  some 
had  passed  themselves  off  for  Swiss,  some  for 
Luxemburgers ;  others  had  quite  settled  down,  and 
no  one  would  ever  have  suspected  that  they  owed 
two  or  three  more  years'  service  to  their  country. 
This  gave  rise  to  disputes.  Those  whose  situations 
they  had  taken,  and  who  bore  ill-will  against  them, 
fell  upon  them;  the  gendarmerie  beat  up  the 
mountains;  things  were  taking  an  ugly  turn. 


54  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

It  was  in  vain  that  I  affirmed  at  the  mayoralty- 
house  that  the  Emperor  breathed  only  peace;  for 
the  Gazettes  of  the  prefecture  talked  of  nothing 
but  the  insults  we  had  had  to  endure,  the  ambi- 
tion of  Prussia,  revenge  for  Sadowa,  the  Catholic 
nations  who  were  going  to  declare  c n  masse  in  our 
favor,  and  all  the  powers  which  affirmed  the  jus- 
tice of  our  cause:  the  enthusiasm  for  war  grew 
higher  and  higher  day  by  day;  especially  that  of 
the  pedlers,  the  tinkers,  the  small  dealers,  and  all 
those  good  fellows  who  come  out  of  the  prisons, 
and  who  are  continually  seeking  for  work  without 
finding  any ;  though  they  do  find  walls  to  get  over, 
doors  to  break  in,  cupboards  to  plunder.  All  these 
excellent  people  declared  that  it  was  for  the  honor 
of  France  to  make  war  upon  Germany. 

And  then  the  Paris  newspapers  in  the  pay  of 
the  Government,  as  we  have  more  recently  learned, 
continued  arriving  and  were  circulated  gratis,  say- 
ing that  our  ambassador  Benedetti  had  gone  to  see 
Frederick  William  at  the  waters  of  Ems,  to  entreat 
him  not  to  precipitate  us  into  the  horrors  of  war; 
that  the  King  had  answered  that  all  that  was  noth- 
ing to  him,  for  his  Cousin  Leopold  of  Ilohenzollern 
had  only  consulted  him  out  of  respect,  as  head  of 
the  family;  that  he  was  too  good  a  relation  to  ad- 
vise him  not  to  accept  so  good  a  windfall,  which  was 
coming  down  to  him  out  of  the  clouds. 

Then,  indeed,  did  the  indignation  of  the  Gazettes 
burst  upon  the  Germans:  they  must,  by  all  means, 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  55 

be  brought  to  their  senses.  Now,  fancy  the  posi- 
tion of  a  mayor,  who  only  two  months  before  had 
made  all  his  village  vote  in  the  Plebiscite,  promis- 
ing them  peace,  and  who  saw  clearly  at  last  how 
they  had  only  made  use  of  him  as  a  tool  to  dupe 
his  people!  I  dared  no  longer  look  my  cousin  in 
the  face,  for  he  had  warned  me  of  the  thing;  and 
now  I  knew  what  to  think  of  the  honorable  mem- 
bers of  the  Government. 

Affairs  were  going  on  so  badly  that  war  seemed 
imminent,  when  one  fine  morning  we  learned  that 
Ilohenzollern  had  waived  his  right  to  be  King  of 
Spain.  Ah!  now  we  were  out  of  the  mess:  now 
we  could  breathe  more  freely.  That  day  my  cousin 
himself  was  smiling;  he  came  to  the  mill  and  said 
to  me:  "The  Emperor  and  his  Ministers,  his  pre- 
fets  and  sous-prefets,  have  not  such  long  noses  after 
all!  How  well  things  were  going  on  too!  And 
now  they  will  be  obliged  to  wait  for  another  oppor- 
tunity to  begin.  How  they  must  feel  sold!  " 

"We  both  laughed  with  delight. 

More  than  twenty-five  of  the  principal  inhabi- 
tants came  that  day  to  shake  hands  with  me  at  the 
mayoralty-house.  It  was  concluded  that  his  ex- 
cellency, Monsieur  Emile  Ollivier,  would  never  be 
able  to  tinker  this  war  again,  and  that  peace  would 
be  preserved  in  spite  of  him:  in  spite  of  the  Em- 
peror, in  spite  of  Marshal  Lebojuf,  who  had  de- 
clared to  the  Senate  that  ice  were  ready — five  times 
ready,  and  that  during  the  whole  campaign  ice 


56  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

should  never  be  short  of  so  much  as  a  gaiter  but- 
ton. 

Hohenzollern  was  praised  up  to  the  skies  for 
having  shown  such  good  sense ;  and  as  the  reserves 
had  been  called  out,  many  young  men  were  glad  to 
be  able  to  remain  in  the  bosom  of  their  families. 

In  a  word,  it  was  concluded  that  the  whole  affair 
was  at  an  end;  when  our  good  man  and  his  honor- 
able Minister  informed  us  that  we  had  begun  to 
rejoice  too  soon.  All  at  once,  the  report  ran  that 
Frederick  William  had  shown  our  ambassador  the 
door,  saying  something  so  terribly  strong  against 
the  honor  of  his  Majesty  Napoleon  III.,  that  no- 
body dared  repeat  it.  It  appeared  that  his  Majesty 
the  Emperor,  seeing  that  the  King  of  Prussia  had 
withdrawn  his  authorization  from  the  Prince  of 
Hohenzollern  to  accept  the  Crown  of  Spain,  had  not 
been  satisfied  with  that;  and  that  he  had  given 
orders  to  his  ambassador  to  demand,  furthermore, 
his  renunciation  of  any  crown  whatever  that  the 
Spaniards  might  offer  him  in  all  time  to  come — for 
himself  or  his  family;  and  that  this  King,  who  does 
not  enjoy  at  all  times  the  best  of  tempers,  had  said 
something  very  strong  touching  our  honest  man. 

That  day  I  was  at  the  mayoralty-house  about 
eleven  o'clock.  I  had  just  celebrated  the  marriage 
of  Andre  Fix  with  Kaan's  daughter,  and  the  wed- 
ding-party had  started  for  church,  when  the  post- 
man Michel  comes  in  and  throws  down  the  little 
Moniteur  upon  the  table.  Then  I  sat  down  to  read 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  57 

about  the  great  battle  in  the  Legislative  Chambers, 
fought  by  Thiers,  Gambetta,  Julea  Favre,  Glais- 
Bizoin  and  others,  against  the  Ministers,  in  defence 
of  peace. 

It  was  magnificent.  But  this  had  not  prevented 
the  majority,  appointed  to  do  everything,  from  de- 
claring war  against  the  Germans,  on  account  of 
what  the  King  of  Prussia  had  said. 

What  could  he  then  have  said?  His  excellency 
Emile  Ollivier  has  never  dared  to  repeat  it!  My 
Cousin  George  declared  that  he  had  said  something 
that  was  right,  and  naturally  very  unpleasant:  but 
it  is  known  now,  by  the  reports  of  our  ambassador, 
that  the  King  of  Prussia  had  said  nothing  at  all, 
and  that  the  indignation  of  M.  Ollivier  was  noth- 
ing but  a  disgraceful  sham  to  deceive  the  Chambers, 
and  make  them  vote  for  war. 

Well,  this  was  the  commencement  of  our  calami- 
ties; and,  for  my  part,  I  find  that  this  did  not  present 
a  cheerful  prospect.  No!  After  having  endured 
such  miseries,  it  is  not  pleasant  to  remember  that 
we  owe  them  all  to  M.  Emile  Ollivier,  to  Monsieur 
Lebosuf,  to  Monsieur  Bonaparte,  and  to  other  men. 
of  that  stamp,  who  are  living  at  this  moment  com- 
fortably in  their  country-houses  in  Italy,  in  Swit- 
zerland, in  England;  whilst  so  many  unhappy 
creatures  have  had  their  lives  sacrificed,  or  have 
been  utterly  ruined ;  have  lost  father,  children,  and 
friends:  but  we  Alsaciane  and  Lorraincrs  have  lost 
more  than  all — our  own  mother-country. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  day  following  this  declaration,  Cousin 
George,  who  could  never  look  upon  anything  cheer- 
fully, started  for  Belfort.  He  had  ordered  some 
wine  at  Dijon,  and  he  wished  to  stop  it  from  coming. 
It  was  the  22d  July.  George  only  returned  five 
days  later,  on  the  27th,  having  had  the  greatest 
difficulty  in  getting  there  in  time. 

During  these  five  days  I  had  a  hard  time.  Or- 
ders were  coming  every  hour  to  hurry  on  the  re- 
serves and  the  Gardes  Mobiles,  and  to  cancel  renew- 
able furloughs;  the  gendarmerie  had  no  rest.  The 
Government  gazette  was  telling  us  of  the  enthu- 
siasm of  the  nation  for  the  war.  It  was  pitiable; 
can  you  imagine  young  men  sitting  quietly  at  home, 
thinking:  "  In  five  or  six  months  I  shall  be  exempt 
from  service,  I  may  marry,  settle,  earn  money,"  all 
at  once,  without  either  rhyme  or  reason,  becoming 
enthusiastic  to  go  and  knock  over  men  they  know 
nothing  of,  and  to  risk  their  own  bones  against  them. 
Is  there  a  shadow  of  good  sense  in  such  notions? 

And  the  Germans!  Will  any  one  persuade  us 
that  they  were  coming  for  their  own  pleasure — 
all  these  thousands  of  workmen,  tradesmen,  man- 
ufacturers, good  citizens,  who  were  living  in  peace 

58 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  59 

in  tlieir  towns  and  their  villages?  "Will  any  one 
maintain  that  they  cr.me  and  drew  up  in  lines  fac- 
ing cur  guns  for  their  private  satisfaction,  with  an 
officer  behind  them,  pistol  in  hand,  to  shoot  them 
in  the  back  if  they  gave  way?  Do  you  suppose 
they  found  any  amusement  in  that?  Come  now, 
was  not  his  excellency  Monsieur  Ollivier  the  only 
man  who  went  into  war,  as  he  himself  said,  "  with 
a  light  heart  ?  "  He  was  safe  to  come  back,  he  was : 
he  had  not  much  to  fear ;  he  is  quite  well ;  he  made 
a  fortune  in  a  very  short  time!  But  the  lads  of  our 
neighborhood,  Mathias  Ileitz,  Jean  Baptiste  Wer- 
ner, my  son  Jacob,  and  hundreds  of  others,  were  in 
no  such  hurry :  they  would  much  rather  have  stayed 
in  their  villages. 

Later  on  it  was  another  matter,  when  you  were 
fighting  for  your  country;  then,  of  course,  many 
went  off  as  a  matter  of  duty,  without  being  sum- 
moned, whilst  Monsieur  Ollivier  and  his  friends 
were  hiding,  God  knows  where!  But  at  that  par- 
ticular moment  when  all  our  misfortunes  might 
have  been  averted,  it  is  a  falsehood  to  say  that  we 
went  enthusiastically  to  have  ourselves  cut  to  pieces 
for  a  pack  of  intriguers  and  stage-players,  whom 
we  were  just  beginning  to  find  out. 

When  we  saw  our  son  Jacob,  in  his  blouse,  his 
bundle  under  his  arm,  come  into  the  mill,  saying, 
*'!N"ow,  father,  I  am  going;  you  must  not  forget 
to  pull  up  the  dam  in  half  an  hour,  for  the  water 
will  be  up: "  when  he  said  this  to  me,  I  tell  you 


60  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

my  heart  trembled;  the  cries  of  his  mother  in  the 
room  behind  made  my  hair  stand  on  end.  I  could 
have  wished  to  say  a  few  words,  to  cheer  up  the  lad, 
but  my  tongue  refused  to  move;  and  if  I  had  held 
his  excellency,  M.  Ollivier,  or  his  respected  master, 
by  the  throat  in  a  corner,  they  would  have  made  a 
queer  figure:  I  should  have  strangled  them  in  a 
moment !  At  last  Jacob  went. 

All  the  young  men  of  Sarrebourg,  of  Chateau 
Salins,  and  our  neighborhood,  fifteen  or  sixteen 
hundred  in  number,  were  at  Phalsbourg  to  relieve 
the  84th,  who  at  any  moment  might  expect  to  be 
called  away,  and  who  were  complaining  of  their 
colonel  for  not  claiming  the  foremost  rank  for  his 
regiment.  The  officers  were  afraid  of  arriving  too 
late;  they  wanted  promotion,  crosses,  medals: 
fighting  was  their  trade. 

What  I  have  said  about  enthusiasm  is  true;  it 
is  equally  true  of  the  Germans  and  the  French; 
they  had  no  desire  to  exterminate  one  another. 
Bismarck  and  our  honest  man  alone  are  responsi- 
ble: at  their  door  lies  all  the  blood  that  has  been 
shed. 

Cousin  George  returned  from  Belfort  on  the 
27th,  in  the  evening.  I  fancy  I  still  see  him  en- 
tering our  room  at  nightfall ;  Gredel  had  returned 
to  us  the  day  before,  and  we  were  at  supper,  with 
the  tin  lamp  upon  the  table;  from  my  place,  on 
the  right,  near  the  window,  I  was  able  to  watch  the 
mill-dam.  George  arrived. 


I  SHOULD  HAVE  STRANGLED  THEM  IN  A   MOMENT. 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  61 

"Ah!  cousin,  here  you  are  back  again!  Did 
you  get  on  all  right?  " 

"  Yes,  I  have  nothing  to  complain  of,"  said  he, 
taking  a  chair.  "  I  arrived  just  in  time  to  coun- 
termand my  order;  but  it  was  only  by  good  luck. 
What  confusion  all  the  way  from  Belfort  to  Stras- 
bourg! the  troops,  the  recruits,  the  guns,  the  horses, 
the  munitions  of  war,  the  barrels  of  biscuits,  all  are 
arriving  at  the  railway  in  heaps.  You  would  not 
know  the  country.  Orders  are  asked  for  every- 
where. The  telegraph-wires  are  no  longer  for  pri- 
vate use.  The  commissaries  don't  know  where  to 
find  their  stores,  colonels  are  looking  for  their  regi- 
ments, generals  for  their  brigades  and  divisions. 
They  are  seeking  for  salt,  sugar,  coffee,  bacon,  meat, 
saddles  and  bridles — and  they  are  getting  charts  of 
the  Baltic  for  a  campaign  in  the  Vosges !  Oh !  " 
cried  my  cousin,  uplifting  his  hands,  "  is  it  possible? 
Have  we  come  to  that — we!  we!  Now  it  will  be 
seen  how  expensive  a  thing  is  a  government  of 
thieves !  I  warn  you,  Christian,  it  will  be  a  failure ! 
Perhaps  there  will  not  even  be  found  rifles  in  the 
arsenals,  after  the  hundreds  of  millions  voted  to  get 
rifles.  You  will  see;  you  will  see!  " 

He  had  begun  to  stride  to  and  fro  excitedly,  and 
we,  sitting  on  our  chairs,  were  looking  at  him  open- 
mouthed,  staring  first  right  and  then  left.  His 
anger  rose  higher  and  higher,  and  he  said,  "  Such 
is  the  genius  of  our  honest  man,  he  conducts  every- 
thing: he  is  our  commander-in-chief!  A  retired 


62  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

artillery  captain,  with  whom  I  travelled  from  Schle- 
stadt  to  Strasbourg,  told  me  that  in  consequence  of 
the  bad  organization  of  our  forces,  we  should  be  un- 
able to  place  more  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  thou- 
sand men  in  line  along  our  frontier  from  Luxem- 
bourg to  Switzerland;  and  that  the  Germans,  with 
their  superior  and  long-prepared  organization,  could 
oppose  to  us,  in  eight  days,  a  force  of  five  to  six  hun- 
dred thousand  men;  so  that  they  will  be  more  than 
two  to  one  at  the  outset,  and  they  will  crush  us  in 
spite  of  the  valor  of  our  soldiers.  This  old  officer, 
full  of  good  sense,  and  who  has  travelled  in  Ger- 
many, told  me,  besides,  that  the  artillery  of  the 
Prussians  carries  farther  and  is  worked  more  rap- 
idly than  ours;  which  would  enable  the  Germans 
to  dismount  our  batteries  and  our  mitrailleuses 
without  getting  any  harm  themselves.  It  seems 
that  our  great  man  never  thought  of  that." 

Then  George  began  to  laugh,  and,  as  we  said 
nothing,  he  went  on:  "  And  the  enemy — the  Prus- 
sians, Bavarians,  Badeners,  Wurtembergers,  the 
Conrrier  du  Bas-Rhin  declares  that  they  are  com- 
ing by  regiments  and  divisions  from  Frankfort  and 
Munich  to  Kastadt,  with  guns,  munitions,  and 
provisions  in  abundance;  that  all  the  coun- 
try swarms  with  them,  from  Karlsruhe  to  Ba- 
den; that  they  have  blown  up  the  bridge  of  Kehl, 
to  prevent  us  from  outflanking  them;  that  we 
have  not  troops  enough  at  Wissembourg.  But 
what  is  the  use  of  complaining?  Our  commander- 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  63 

in-chief  knows  better  than  the  (Joitrricr  du  Bas- 
Rltbiy  he  is  an  iron-clad  fellow,  who  takes  no  ad- 
vice: a  man  must  have  some  courage  to  offer  him 
advice !  " 

And  all  at  once,  stopping  short,  "  Christian,"  he 
said,  "  I  have  come  to  give  you  a  little  advice." 

"What?" 

"  Hide  all  the  money  you  have  got;  for,  from 
what  I  have  seen  down  there,  in  a  few  days  the 
enemy  will  be  in  Alsace." 

Imagine  my  astonishment  at  hearing  these  words. 
George  was  not  the  man  to  joke  about  serious  mat- 
ters, nor  was  he  a  timid  man :  on  the  contrary,  you 
would  have  to  go  far  to  find  a  braver  man.  There- 
fore, fancy  my  wife's  and  Gredel's  alarm. 

"  What,  George,"  said  I,  "  do  you  think  that 
possible? " 

"  Listen  to  me,"  said  he.  "  When  on  the  one 
side  you  see  nothing  but  empty  beings,  without 
education,  without  judgment,  prudence,  or  method; 
and  on  the  other,  men  who  for  fifty  years  have  been 
preparing  a  mortal  blow — anything  is  possible. 
Yes,  I  believe  it;  in  a  fortnight  the  Germans  will 
be  in  Alsace.  Our  mountains  will  check  them;  the 
fortresses  of  Bitche,  of  Petite  Pierre,  of  Phalsbourg 
and  Lichtenberg;  the  abatis,  and  the  intrench- 
ments  which  will  be  formed  in  the  passes ;  the  am- 
buscades of  every  kind  which  will  be  set,  the  bridges 
and  the  railway  tunnels  that  they  will  blow  up — 
all  this  will  prevent  them  from  going  farther  for 


64  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

three  or  four  months  until  winter;  but,  in  the 
meantime,  they  will  send  this  way  reconnoitring 
parties — Uhlans,  hussars,  brigands  of  every  kind 
—who  will  snap  up  everything,  pillage  everywhere 
- — wheat,  flour,  hay,  straw,  bacon,  cattle,  and  prin- 
cipally money.  "War  will  be  made  upon  our  backs. 
We  Alsacians  and  Lorrainers,  we  shall  have  to  pay 
the  bill.  I  know  all  about  it.  I  have  been  all  over 
the  country-side;  believe  me.  Hide  everything; 
that  is  what  I  mean  to  do;  and,  if  anything  hap- 
pens, at  least  it  will  not  be  our  fault.  I  would 
not  go  to  bed  without  giving  you  this  warn- 
ing; so  good-night,  Christian;  good-night,  every- 
body! " 

He  left  us,  and  we  sat  a  few  moments  gazing 
stupidly  at  each  other.  My  wife  and  Gredel 
wanted  to  hide  everything  that  very  night.  Gre- 
del, ever  since  she  had  got  Jean  Baptiste  Werner 
into  her  head,  was  thinking  of  nothing  but  her 
marriage-portion.  She  knew  that  we  had  about 
a  hundred  louis  in  cent-sous  pieces  in  a  basket  at 
the  bottom  of  the  cupboard;  she  said  to  herself, 
"  That's  my  marriage-portion !  "  And  this  troub- 
led her  more  than  anything:  she  even  grew 
bolder,  and  wanted  to  keep  the  keys  herself.  But 
her  mother  is  not  a  woman  to  be  led:  every  minute 
she  cried:  "Take  care,  Gredel!  mind  what  you 
are  about!  " 

She  looked  daggers  at  her;  and  I  was  contin- 
ually obliged  to  come  to  preserve  peace  between 


STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  65 

them;  for  Catherine  is  not  gifted  with  patience. 
And  so  all  our  troubles  came  together. 

But,  in  spite  of  what  George  had  just  been  say- 
ing, I  was  not  afraid.  The  Germans  were  less  than 
sixteen  leagues  from  us,  it  is  true,  but  they  would 
have  first  to  cross  the  Rhine;  then  we  knew  that 
at  Niederbronn  the  people  were  complaining  of  the 
troops  cantoned  in  the  villages:  this  was  a  proof 
that  there  was  no  lack  of  soldiers;  and  then  Mac- 
Mahon  was  at  Strasbourg;  the  Turcos,  the  Zouaves, 
and  the  Chasseurs  d'Afrique  were  coming  up. 

So  I  said  to  my  wife  that  there  was  no  hurry  yet; 
that  Cousin  George  had  long  detested  the  Emperor; 
but  that  all  that  did  not  mean  much,  and  it  was 
better  to  see  things  for  one's  self;  that  I  should  go 
to  Saverne  market,  and  if  things  looked  bad,  then 
I  would  sell  all  our  corn  and  flour,  which  would 
come  to  a  hundred  louis,  and  which  we  would  bury 
directly  with  the  rest. 

My  wife  took  courage;  and  if  I  had  not  had 
a  great  deal  to  grind  for  the  bakers  in  our  village, 
I  should  have  gone  next  day  to  Saverne  and  should 
have  seen  what  was  going  on.  Unfortunately,  ever 
since  Frantz  and  Jacob  had  left,  the  mill  was  on  my 
hands,  and  I  scarcely  had  time  to  turn  round. 

Jacob  was  a  great  trouble  to  me  besides,  asking 
for  money  by  the  postman  Michel.  This  man  told 
me  that  the  Mobiles  had  not  yet  been  called  out, 
and  that  they  were  lounging  from  one  public-house 
to  another  in  gangs  to  kill  time;  that  they  had  re- 


66  STORY    OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

ceived  no  rifles;  that  they  were  not  quartered  in  the 
barracks;  and  that  they  did  not  get  a  farthing  for 
their  food. 

This  disorder  disgusted  me;  and  I  reflected  that 
an  Emperor  who  sends  for  all  the  young  men  in 
harvest-time,  ought  at  least  to  feed  them,  and  not 
leave  them  to  be  an  expense  to  their  parents.  For 
all  that  I  sent  money  to  Jacob:  I  could  not  allow 
him  to  suffer  hunger.  But  it  was  a  trouble  to  my 
mind  to  keep  him  down  there  with  my  money, 
sauntering  about  with  his  hands  in  his  pockets, 
whilst  I,  at  my  age,  was  obliged  to  carry  sacks  up 
into  the  loft,  to  fetch  them  down  again,  to  load  the 
carts  alone,  and,  besides,  to  watch  the  mill;  for  no 
one  could  be  met  with  now,  and  the  old  day-laborer, 
Donadieu,  quite  a  cripple,  was  all  the  help  I  had. 
After  that,  only  imagine  our  anxiety,  our  fatigue, 
and  our  embarrassment  to  know  what  to  do. 

The  other  people  in  the  village  were  in  no  bet- 
ter spirits  than  ourselves.  The  old  men  and  women 
thought  of  thoir  sons  shut  up  in  the  town,  and  the 
great  drought  continuing:  we  could  rely  upon 
nothing.  The  smallpox  had  broken  out,  too.  Noth- 
ing would  sell,  nothing  could  be  sent  by  railway: 
planks,  beams,  felled  timber,  building-stone,  all  lay 
at  the  saw-pits  or  the  stone-quarry.  The  sous-pref  et 
kept  on  troubling  me  to  search  and  find  out  three  or 
four  scamps  who  had  not  reported  themselves,  and 
the  consequence  of  all  this  was  that  I  did  not  get 
to  Saverne  that  week. 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  67 

Then  it  was  announced  that  at  last  the  Em- 
peror had  just  quitted  Paris,  to  place  himself  at 
the  head  of  his  armies;  and  five  or  six  days  after 
came  the  news  of  his  great  victory  at  Sarrebriick, 
where  the  mitrailleuses  had  mown  down  the  Prus- 
sians; where  the  little  Prince  had  picked  up  bul- 
lets, "  which  made  old  soldiers  shed  tears  of  emo- 
tion." 

On  learning  this  the  people  became  crazy  with 
joy.  On  all  sides  were  heard  cries  of  "  Vive  1'Em- 
pereur!  "  and  Monsieur  le  Cure  preached  the  ex- 
termination of  the  heretic  Prussians.  Never  had 
the  like  been  seen.  That  very  day,  toward  evening, 
just  after  stopping  the  mill,  all  at  once  I  heard  in 
the  distance,  toward  the  road,  cries  of  "  Aux  armes, 
citoycns!  formes  vos  lataillons!  " 

The  dust  from  the  road  rose  up  into  the  clouds. 
It  was  the  84th  departing  from  Phalsbourg;  they 
were  going  to  Metz,  and  the  people  who  were  work- 
ing in  the  fields  near  the  road,  said,  on  returning 
at  night,  that  the  poor  soldiers,  with  their  knap- 
sacks on  their  shoulders,  could  scarcely  march  for 
the  heat;  that  the  people  were  treating  them  with 
eau-de-vie  and  wine  at  all  the  doors  in  Metting,  and 
they  said,  "  Good-by!  long  life  to  you!  "  that  the 
officers,  too,  were  shaking  hands  with  everybody, 
whilst  the  people  shouted,  "  \rive  1'Empereur!  " 

Yes,  this  victory  of  Sarrebriick  had  changed  the 
face  of  things  in  our  villages;  the  love  of  war  was 
returning.  War  is  always  popular  when  it  is  sue- 


68  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

cessful,  and  there  is  a  prospect  of  extending  our 
own  territory  into  other  peoples'  countries. 

That  night  about  nine  o'clock  I  went  to  caution 
my  cousin  to  hold  his  tongue;  for  after  this  great 
victory  one  word  against  the  dynasty  might  send 
him  a  very  long  way  off.  He  was  alone  with  his 
wife,  and  said  to  me,  "  Thank  you,  Christian,  I 
have  seen  the  despatch.  A  few  brave  fellows  have 
been  killed,  and  they  have  shown  the  young  Prince 
to  the  army.  That  poor  little  weakly  creature  has 
picked  up  a  few  bullets  on  the  battle-field.  He  is 
the  heir  of  his  uncle,  the  terrible  captain  of  Jena 
and  Austerlitz!  Only  one  oificer  has  been  killed; 
it  is  not  much;  but  if  the  heir  of  the  dynasty  had 
had  but  a  scratch,  the  gazettes  would  have  shed 
tears,  and  it  would  have  been  our  duty  to  fall  faint- 

ing." 

"  Do  try  to  be  quiet,"  said  I,  looking  to  see  if 

the  windows  were  all  close.  "  Do  take  care,  George. 
Don't  commit  yourself  to  Placiard  and  the  gen- 
darmes." 

"  Yes,"  said  he,  "  the  enemies  of  the  dynasty  are 
at  this  moment  in  worse  danger  than  the  little 
Prince.  If  victories  go  on,  they  will  run  the  risk 
of  being  plucked  pretty  bare.  I  am  quite  aware  of 
that,  my  cousin;  and  so  I  thank  you  for  having 
come  to  warn  me." 

This  is  all  that  he  said  to  me,  and  I  returned 
home  full  of  thoughts. 

Next  day,  Thursday,  market-day,  I  drove  my 


AND  WE  HAVE  TO  PAY  THE  B1LU 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  tq 

first  two  wagon-loads  of  flour  to  Saverne,  and  sold 
them  at  a  good  figure.  That  day  I  observed  the 
tremendous  movement  along  the  railroads,  of  which 
Cousin  George  had  spoken;  the  carriage  of  mitrail- 
leuses, guns,  chests  of  biscuits,  and  the  enthusiasm 
of  the  people,  who  were  pouring  out  wine  for  the 
soldiers. 

It  was  just  like  a  fair  in  the  principal  street, 
from  the  chateau  to  the  station — a  fair  of  little 
white  loaves  and  sausages;  but  the  Turcos,  witk 
their  blue  jackets,  their  linen  trousers,  and  their 
scarlet  caps,  took  the  place  of  honor:  everybody 
wanted  to  treat  them. 

I  had  never  before  seen  any  of  these  men ;  their 
yellow  skins,  their  thick  lips,  the  conspicuous 
whites  of  their  eyes,  surprised  me;  and  I  said  to 
myself,  seeing  the  long  strides  they  took  with  their 
thin  legs,  that  the  Germans  would  find  them  un- 
pleasant neighbors.  Their  officers,  too,  with  their 
swords  at  their  sides,  and  their  pointed  beards, 
looked  splendid  soldiers.  At  every  public-house 
door,  a  few  Chasseurs  d'Afrique  had  tied  their  small 
light  horses,  all  alike  and  beautifully  formed  like 
deer.  No  one  refused  them  anything;  and  in  all 
directions,  in  the  inns,  the  talk  was  of  ambulances 
and  collections  for  the  wounded.  Well,  seeing  all 
this,  George's  ideas  seemed  to  me  more  and  more 
opposed  to  sound  sense,  and  I  felt  sure  that  we  were 
going  to  crush  all  resistance. 

About  two  o'clock,  having  dined  at  the  Bceuf, 


70  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

I  took  the  way  to  the  village  through  Phalsbourg, 
to  see  Jacob  in  passing.  As  I  went  up  the  hill, 
something  glittered  from  time  to  time  on  the  slope 
through  the  woods,  when  all  at  once  hundreds  of 
cuirassiers  came  out  upon  the  road  by  the  Alsace 
fountain.  They  were  advancing  at  a  slow  pace  by 
twos,  their  helmets  and  their  cuirasses  threw  back 
flashes  of  light  upon  all  the  trees,  and  the  tram- 
pling of  their  hoofs  rolled  like  the  rush  of  a  mighty 
river. 

Then  I  drew  my  wagon  to  one  side  to  see  all 
these  men  march  past  me,  sitting  immovable  in 
their  saddles  as  if  they  were  sleeping,  the  head  in- 
clined forward,  and  the  mustache  hanging,  riding 
strong,  square-built  horses,  the  canvas  bag  sus- 
pended from  the  side,  and  the  sabre  ringing  against 
the  boot.  Thus  they  filed  past  me  for  half  an  hour. 
They  extended  their  long  lines,  and  stretched  on  yet 
to  the  Schlittenbach.  I  thought  there  would  be  no 
end  to  them.  Yet  these  were  only  two  regiments; 
two  others  were  encamped  upon  the  glacis  of  Phals- 
bourg, where  I  arrived  about  five  in  the  afternoon. 
They  were  driving  the  pickets  into  the  turf  with 
iaxes;  they  were  lighting  fires  for  cooking;  the  horses 
were  neighing,  and  the  townspeople — men,  women, 
and  children — were  standing  gazing  at  them. 

I  passed  on  my  way,  reflecting  upon  the  strength 
of  such  an  army,  and  pitying,  by  anticipation,  the 
ill-fated  Germans  whom  they  were  going  to  en- 
counter. Entering  through  the  gate  of  Germany, 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  71 

I  saw  the  officers  looking  for  lodgings,  the  Gardes 
Mobiles,  in  blouses,  mounting  guard.  They  had 
received  their  rifles  that  morning;  and  the  even- 
ing before,  Monsieur  le  Sous-prefet  of  Sarrebourg 
had  come  himself  to  appoint  the  officers  of  the  Na- 
tional Guard.  This  is  what  I  had  learned  at  the 
Vacheron  brewery,  where  I  had  stopped,  leaving  my 
cart  outside  at  the  corner  of  the  "  Trois  Pigeons." 

Everybody  was  talking  about  our  victory  at 
Sarrebriick,  especially  those  cuirassiers,  who  were 
emptying  bottles  by  the  hundred,  to  allay  the  dust 
of  the  road.  They  looked  quite  pleased,  and  were 
saying  that  war  on  a  large  scale  was  beginning 
again,  and  that  the  heavy  cavalry  would  be  in  de- 
mand. It  was  quite  a  pleasure  to  look  on  them, 
with  their  red  ears,  and  to  hear  them  rejoicing  at 
the  prospect  of  meeting  the  enemy  soon. 

In  the  midst  of  all  these  swarms  of  people,  of  ser- 
vants running,  citizens  coming  and  going,  I  could 
have  wished  to  see  Jacob;  but  where  was  I  to  look 
for  him  ?  At  last  I  recognized  a  lad  of  our  village — 
Nicolas  Mai'sse — the  son  of  the  wood-turner,  our 
neighbor,  who  immediately  undertook  to  find  him. 
lie  went  out,  and  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  Jacob  ap- 
peared. 

The  poor  fellow  embraced  me.  The  tears  came 
into  my  eyes. 

"  Well  now,"  said  I,  "  sit  down.  Are  you  pretty 
well?" 

"  I  had  rather  be  at  home,"  said  he. 


7a  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

"Yes,  but  that  is  impossible  now;  you  must 
have  patience." 

I  also  invited  young  Ma'isse  to  take  a  glass  with 
us,  and  both  complained  bitterly  that  Mathias 
Heitz,  junior,  had  been  made  a  lieutenant,  who 
knew  no  more  of  the  science  of  war  than  they  did, 
and  who  now  had  ordered  of  Kuhn,  the  tailor,  an 
officer's  uniform,  gold-laced  up  to  the  shoulders. 
Yet  Mathias  was  a  friend  of  Jacob's.  But  justice 
is  justice. 

This  piece  of  news  filled  me  with  indignation: 
what  should  Mathias  Heitz  be  made  an  officer  for? 
He  had  never  learned  anything  at  college;  he  would 
never  have  been  able  to  earn  a  couple  of  Hards — • 
whilst  our  Jacob  was  a  good  miller's  apprentice. 

It  was  abominable.  However,  I  made  no  re- 
mark; I  only  asked  if  Jean  Baptiste  Werner,  who 
had  a  few  days  before  joined  the  artillery  of  the  Ka- 
tional  Guard,  was  an  officer  too? 

Then  they  replied  angrily  that  Jean  Baptiste  Wer- 
ner, in  spite  of  his  African  and  Mexican  campaigns, 
was  only  a  gunner  in  the  Mariet  battery,  behind 
the  powder  magazines.  Those  who  knew  nothing 
became  officers;  those  who  knew  something  of  war, 
like  Mariet  and  Werner,  were  privates,  or  at  the 
most  sergeants.  All  this  showed  me  that  Cousin 
George  was  right  in  saying  that  we  should  be  driven 
like  beasts,  and  that  our  chiefs  were  void  of  com- 
mon-sense. 

Looking  at  all  these  people  coming  and  going, 


STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  73 

the  time  passed  away.  About  eight  o'clock,  as  we 
were  hungry,  and  I  wished  to  keep  my  boy  with  me 
as  long  as  I  could,  I  sent  for  a  good  salad  and  sau- 
sages, and  we  were  eating  together,  with  full  hearts, 
to  be  sure,  but  with  a  good  appetite.  But  a  few  mo- 
ments after  the  retreat,  just  when  the  cuirassiers 
were  going  to  camp  out,  and  their  officers,  heavy 
and  weary,  were  going  to  rest  in  their  lodgings,  a 
few  bugle  notes  were  sounded  in  the  place  d'armcs, 
and  we  heard  a  cry — "  To  horse !  to  horse !  " 

Immediately  all  was  excitement.  A  despatch 
had  arrived;  the  officers  put  on  their  helmets,  fas- 
tened on  their  swords,  and  came  running  out 
through  the  gate  of  Germany.  Countenances 
changed ;  every  one  asked,  "  What  is  the  meaning 
of  this?" 

At  the  same  time  the  police  inspector  came  up; 
he  had  seen  my  cart,  and  cried,  "  Strangers  must 
leave  the  place — the  gates  are  going  to  be  closed." 

Then  I  had  only  just  time  to  embrace  my  son, 
to  press  Nicolas's  hand,  and  to  start  at  a  sharp  gal- 
lop for  the  gate  of  France.  The  drawbridge  was 
just  on  the  rise  as  I  passed  it;  five  minutes  after  I 
was  galloping  along  the  white  high-road  by  moon- 
light, on  the  way  to  Metting.  Outside  on  the  gla- 
cis, there  was  not  a  sound;  the  pickets  had  been 
drawn,  and  the  two  regiments  of  cavalry  were  on  the 
road  to  Saverne. 

I  arrived  home  late:  everybody  was  asleep  in 
our  village.  Nobody  suspected  what  was  about  to 
happen  within  a  week. 


CHAPTEK  V 

THE  whole  way  I  thought  of  nothing  but  the 
cuirassiers.  This  order  to  march  immediately  ap- 
peared to  me  to  betoken  no  good:  something  seri- 
ous must  have  occurred;  and  as,  upon  the  stroke 
of  eleven,  I  was  putting  my  horses  up,  after  having 
put  my  cart  under  its  shed,  the  idea  came  into  my 
head  that  it  was  time  now  to  hide  my  money.  I 
was  bringing  back  from  Saverne  sixteen  hundred 
livres:  this  heavy  leathern  purse  in  my  pocket  was 
perhaps  what  reminded  me.  I  remembered  what 
Cousin  George  had  said  about  Uhlans  and  other 
scamps  of  that  sort,  and  I  felt  a  cold  shiver  come 
over  me. 

Having,  then,  gone  upstairs  very  softly,  I  awoke 
my  wife :  "  Get  up,  Catherine." 

"  "What  is  the  matter?  " 

"  Get  up :  it  is  time  to  hide  our  money." 

"  But  what  is  going  on  ?  " 

"  Nothing.  Be  quiet — make  no  noise — Gredel  is 
asleep.  You  will  carry  the  basket :  put  into  it  your 
ring  and  your  ear-rings,  everything  that  we  have 
got.  You  hear  me!  I  am  going  to  empty  the 
ditch,  and  we  will  bury  everything  at  the  bottom 
of  it" 

74- 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  75 

Then,  without  answering,  she  arose. 

I  went  down  to  the  mill,  opened  the  back-door 
softly,  and  listened.  Nothing  was  stirring  in  the 
village;  you  might  have  heard  a  cat  moving.  The 
mill  had  stopped,  and  the  water  was  pretty  high.  I 
lifted  the  mill-dam,  the  water  began  to  rush,  boil- 
ing, down  the  gulley;  but  our  neighbors  were  used 
to  this  noise  even  in  their  sleep,  so  all  remained 
quiet. 

Then  I  went  in  again,  and  I  was  busy  emptying 
into  a  corner  the  little  box  of  oak  in  which  I  kept  my 
tools — the  pincers,  the  hammer,  the  screw-driver, 
and  the  nails,  when  my  wife,  in  her  slippers,  came 
downstairs.  She  had  the  basket  under  her  arm,  and 
was  carrying  the  lighted  lantern.  I  blew  it  out  in  a 
moment,  thinking:  Never  was  a  woman  such  a 
fool. 

Downstairs  I  asked  Catherine  if  everything  was 
in  the  basket. 

"  Yes." 

"  Bight.  But  I  have  brought  from  Saverne  six- 
teen hundred  francs:  the  wheat  and  the  flour  sold 
well." 

I  had  put  some  bran  into  the  box;  everything  was 
carefully  laid  in  the  bottom;  and  then  I  put  on  a 
padlock,  and  we  went  out,  after  having  looked  to  see 
if  all  was  quiet  in  the  neighborhood.  The  sluice 
was  already  almost  empty;  there  was  only  one  or 
two  feet  of  water.  I  cleared  away  the  few  stones 
which  kept  the  rest  of  the  water  from  running  out, 


76  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

and  went  into  itt  with  my  spade  and  pickaxe  as  far 
as  just  beneath  the  dam,  where  I  began  to  make  a 
deep  hole ;  the  water  was  hindering  me,  but  it  was 
flowing  still. 

Catherine,  above,  was  keeping  watch:  sometimes 
she  gave  a  low  "  Hush !  " 

Then  we  listened,  but  it  was  nothing — the  mew- 
ing of  a  cat,  the  noise  of  the  running  water — and  1 
went  on  digging.  If  anyone  had  had  the  misfortune 
to  surprise  us,  I  should  have  been  capable  of  doing 
him  a  mischief.  Happily  no  one  came;  and  about 
two  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  hole  was  three  or  four 
feet  deep.  I  let  down  the  box,  and  laid  it  down 
level,  first  stamping  soil  down  upon  it  with  my 
heavy  shoes,  then  gravel,  then  large  stones,  then 
sand;  the  mud  would  cover  all  over  of  itself :  there 
is  always  plenty  of  mud  in  a  millstream. 

After  this  I  came  out  again  covered  with  mud.  I 
shut  down  the  dam,  and  the  water  began  to  rise. 
About  three  o'clock,  at  the  dawn  of  day,  the  sluice 
was  almost  full.  I  could  have  begun  grinding 
again;  and  nobody  would  ever  have  imagined  that 
in  this  great  whirling  stream,  nine  feet  under  water 
and  three  feet  under  ground,  lay  a  snug  little  square 
box  of  oak,  clamped  with  iron,  with  a  good  padlock 
on  it,  and  more  than  four  thousand  livres  inside.  I 
chuckled  inwardly,  and  said :  "  Now  let  the  rascals 
come!  " 

And  Catherine  was  well  pleased  too.  But  about 
four,  just  as  I  was  going  up  to  bed  again,  comes 


STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  77 

Gredel,  pale  with  alarm,  crying:  "  Where  is  tho 
money  ? " 

She  had  seen  the  cupboard  open  and  the  basket 
empty.  Never  had  she  had  such  a  fright  in  her  life 
before.  Thinking  that  her  marriage-portion  was 
gone,  her  ragged  hair  stood  upon  end;  she  was  as 
pale  as  a  sheet.  "  Be  quiet,"  I  said,  "  the  money 
is  in  a  safe  place." 

"Where?" 

"  It  is  hidden." 

"Where?" 

She  looked  as  if  she  was  going  to  seize  me  by  the 
collar,  but  her  mother  said  to  her:  "  That  is  no  busi- 
ness of  yours." 

Then  she  became  furious,  and  said,  that  if  we 
came  to  die,  she  would  not  know  where  to  find  her 
marriage-portion. 

This  quarrelling  annoyed  me,  and  I  said  to  her: 
"  We  are  not  going  to  die ;  on  the  contrary,  we  shall 
live  a  long  while  yet,  to  prevent  you  and  your  Jean 
Baptiste  from  inheriting  our  goods." 

And  thereupon  I  went  to  bed,  leaving  Gredel  and 
her  mother  to  come  to  a  settlement  together. 

All  I  can  say  is  that  girls,  when  they  have  got 
anything  into  their  heads,  become  too  bold  with 
their  parents,  and  all  the  excellent  training  they 
have  had  ends  in  nothing.  Thank  God,  I  had  noth- 
ing to  reproach  myself  with  on  that  score,  nor  her 
mother  either.  Gredel  had  had  four  times  as  many 
blows  as  Jacob,  because  she  deserved  it,  on  account 


78  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

of  her  wanting  to  keep  everything,  putting  it  all 
into  her  own  cupboard,  and  saying,  "  There,  that's 
mine!  " 

Yes,  indeed,  she  had  had  plenty  of  correction  of 
that  kind :  but  you  cannot  beat  a  girl  of  twenty :  you 
cannot  correct  girls  at  that  age;  and  that  was  just 
my  misfortune :  it  ought  to  go  on  forever ! 

Well,  it  can't  be  helped. 

She  upset  the  house  and  rummaged  the  mill  from 
top  to  bottom,  she  visited  the  garden,  and  her  mother 
said  to  her,  "  You  see,  we  have  got  it  in  a  safe  place; 
since  you  cannot  find  it,  the  Uhlans  won't." 

I  remember  that  just  as  we  were  going  up  to  sleep, 
that  day,  the  5th  of  August,  early  in  the  morning, 
Catherine  and  I  had  seen  Cousin  George  in  his  char- 
a-banc  coming  down  the  valley  of  Dosenheim,  and 
it  seemed  to  us  that  he  was  out  very  early.  The 
village  was  waking  up;  other  people,  too,  were  going 
to  work:  I  lay  down,  and  about  eight  o'clock  my 
wife  woke  me  to  tell  me  that  the  postman,  Michel, 
was  there.  I  came  down,  and  saw  Michel  standing 
in  our  parlor  with  his  letter-bag  under  his  arm.  He 
was  thoughtful,  and  told  me  that  the  worst  reports 
were  abroad;  that  they  were  speaking  of  the  great 
battle  near  Wissembourg,  where  we  had  been  de- 
feated ;  that  several  maintained  that  we  had  lost  ten 
thousand  men,  and  the  Germans  seventeen  thou- 
sand ;  but  that  there  was  nothing  certain,  because  it 
was  not  known  whence  these  rumors  proceeded,  only 
that  the  commanding  officer  of  Phalsbourg,  Tail- 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  79 

lant,  had  proclaimed  that  morning  that  the  inhabi- 
tants would  be  obliged  to  lay  in  provisions  for  six 
weeks.  Naturally,  such  a  proclamation  set  people 
a-thinking,  and  they  said:  "  Have  we  a  siege  before 
us?  Have  we  gone  back  to  the  times  of  the  great 
retreat  and  downfall  of  the  first  Emperor?  Ought 
things  forever  to  end  in  the  same  fashion  ?  " 

My  wife,  Gredel,  and  I,  stood  listening  to  Michel, 
with  lips  compressed,  without  interrupting  him. 

"  And  you,  Michel,"  said  I,  when  he  had  done, 
"  what  do  you  think  of  it  all?  " 

"  Monsieur  le  Maire,  I  am  a  poor  postman ;  I  want 
my  place ;  and  if  my  five  hundred  francs  a  year  were 
taken  from  me,  what  would  become  of  my  wife  and 
children?  " 

Then  I  saw  that  he  considered  our  prospects  were 
not  good.  He  handed  me  a  letter  from  Monsieur  le 
Sous-prefet — it  was  the  last — telling  me  to  watch, 
false  reports;  that  false  news  should  be  severely 
punished,  by  order  of  our  pref  et,  Monsieur  Podevin. 

"We  could  have  wished  no  better  than  that  the 
news  had  been  false!  But  at  that  time,  everything 
that  displeased  the  sous-prefets,  the  prefets,  the  Min- 
isters, and  the  Emperor,  was  false,  and  everything 
that  pleased  them,  everything  that  helped  to  deceive 
people — like  that  peaceful  Plebiscite — was  truth! 

Let  us  change  the  subject:  the  thought  of  these 
things  turns  me  sick! 

Michel  went  away,  and  all  that  day  might  be 
noticed  a  stir  of  excitement  in  our  village;  men  com- 


80  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

ing  and  going,  women  watching,  people  going  into 
the  wood,  each  with  a  bag,  spade,  and  pickaxe; 
stables  clearing  out ;  a  great  movement,  and  all  faces 
full  of  care :  I  have  always  thought  that  at  that  mo- 
ment every  one  was  hiding,  burying  anything  he 
could  hide  or  bury.  I  was  sorry  I  had  not  begun 
to  sell  my  corn  sooner,  when  my  cousin  had  cau- 
tioned me  a  week  before;  but  my  duties  as  mayor 
had  prevented  me :  we  must  pay  for  our  honors.  I 
had  still  four  cart-loads  of  corn  in  my  barn — now 
where  could  I  put  them?  And  the  cattle,  and  tho 
furniture,  the  bedding,  provisions  of  every  sort? 
Never  will  our  people  forget  those  days,  when  every 
one  was  expecting,  listening,  and  saying:  "  We  are 
like  the  bird  upon  the  twig.  We  have  toiled,  and 
sweated,  and  saved  for  fifty  years,  to  get  a  little 
property  of  our  own ;  to-morrow  shall  we  have  any- 
thing left?  And  next  week,  next  month — shall  we 
not  be  starving  to  death  ?  And  in  those  days  of  dis- 
tress, shall  we  be  able  to  borrow  a  couple  of  liards 
upon  our  land,  or  our  house?  Who  will  lend  to  us? 
And  all  this  on  account  of  whom?  Scoundrels  who 
have  taken  us  in." 

Ah !  if  there  is  any  justice  above,  as  every  honest 
man  believes,  these  abominable  fellows  will  have  a 
heavy  reckoning  to  pay.  So  many  miserable  men, 
women,  children  await  them  there;  they  are  there 
to  demand  satisfaction  for  all  their  sufferings.  Yes,  I 
believe  it.  But  they — oh !  they  believe  in  nothing ! 
There  are,  indeed,  dreadful  brigands  in  this  world! 


STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  Si 

All  that  day  was  spent  thus,  in  weariness  and 
anxiety.  Xothing  was  known.  We  questioned 
the  people  who  were  coming  from  Dosenheim,  Neu- 
viller,  or  from  farther  still,  but  they  gave  no  answer 
but  this:  "Make  your  preparations!  The  enemy 
is  advancing!  " 

And  then  my  stupid  fool  of  a  deputy,  Placiard, 
who  for  fifteen  years  did  nothing  but  cry  for  to- 
bacco licenses,  stamp  offices,  promotion  for  his  sons, 
for  his  son-in-law,  and  even  for  himself — a  sort  of 
beggar,  who  spent  his  life  in  drawing  up  petitions 
and  denunciations — he  came  into  the  mill,  saying, 
"  Monsieur  le  Maire,  everything  is  going  on  well — 
gamarche — the  enemy  are  being  drawn  into  the 
plain:  they  are  coming  into  the  net.  To-morrow 
we  shall  hear  that  they  are  all  exterminated,  every 
one!" 

And  the  municipal  councillors,  Arnold,  Frantz, 
Sepel,  Baptiste  Dida,  the  wood-monger,  came  crowd- 
ing in,  saying  that  the  enemy  must  be  exterminated ; 
that  fire  must  be  set  to  the  forest  of  Haguenau  to 
roast  them,  and  so  on !  Every  one  had  his  own  plan. 
What  fools  men  can  be ! 

But  the  worst  of  it  was  when  my  wife,  having 
learned  from  Michel  the  proclamations  in  the  town, 
went  up  into  our  bacon  stores,  to  send  a  few  provi- 
sions to  Jacob;  and  she  perceived  our  two  best  hams 
were  missing,  with  a  pig's  cheek,  and  some  sausages 
which  had  been  smoked  weeks. 

Then  you  should  have  seen  her  flying  down  the 
6 


82  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

stairs,  declaring  that  the  house  was  full  of  thieves; 
that  there  was  no  trusting  anybody;  and  Gredel, 
crying  louder  than  she,  that  surely  Frantz,  that  thief 
of  a  Badener,  had  made  off  with  them.  But  mother 
had  visited  the  bacon-room  a  couple  of  days  after 
Frantz  had  left;  she  had  seen  that  everything  was 
straight;  and  her  wrath  redoubled. 

Then  said  Gredel  that  perhaps  Jacob,  before  leav- 
ing home,  had  put  the  hams  into  his  bag  with  all  the 
rest;  but  mother  screamed,  "  It  is  a  falsehood !  I 
should  have  seen  it.  Jacob  has  never  taken  any- 
thing without  asking  for  it.  He  is  an  honest  lad." 

The  clatter  of  the  mill  was  music  compared  to  this 
uproar :  I  could  have  wished  to  take  to  flight. 

About  seven  my  cousin  came  back  upon  his  char- 
a-banc.  He  was  returning  from  Alsace;  and  I  im- 
mediately ran  into  his  house  to  hear  what  news  he 
had.  George,  in  his  large  parlor,  was  pulling  off  his 
boots  and  putting  on  his  blouse  when  I  entered. 

"  Is  that  you,  Christian?  "  said  he.  "  Is  your 
money  safe?" 

"  Yes." 

"  Very  well.  I  have  just  heard  fine  news  at 
Bouxviller.  Our  affairs  are  in  splendid  order!  "We 
have  famous  generals!  Oh,  yes!  here  is  rather  a 
queer  beginning;  and,  if  matters  go  on  in  this  way, 
we  shall  come  to  a  remarkable  end." 

His  wife,  Marie  Anne,  was  coming  in  from  the 
kitchen:  she  set  upon  the  table  a  leg  of  mutton, 
bread,  and  wine.  George  sat  down,  and  whilst  eat- 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  83 

ing,  told  me  tbat  two  regiments  of  the  line,  a  regi- 
ment of  Turcos,  a  battalion  of  light  infantry,  and  a 
regiment  of  light  horse,  with  three  guns,  had  been, 
posted  in  advance  of  Wissembourg,  and  that  they 
were  there  quietly  bathing  in  the  Lauter,  and  wash- 
ing their  clothes,  right  in  front  of  fifty  thousand 
Germans,  hidden  in  the  woods;  not  to  mention 
eighty  thousand  more  on  our  right,  who  were  only 
waiting  for  a  good  opportunity  to  cross  the  Rhine. 
They  had  been  posted,  as  it  were,  in  the  very  jaws  of 
a  wolf,  which  had  only  to  give  a  snap  to  catch  them, 
every  one — and  this  had  not  failed  to  take  place ! 

The  Germans  had  surprised  our  small  army  corps 
the  morning  before;  fierce  encounters  had  taken 
place  in  the  vines  around  Wissembourg;  our  men 
were  short  of  artillery;  the  Turcos,  the  light-armed 
men,  and  the  line  had  fought  like  lions,  one  to  six: 
they  had  even  taken  eight  guns  in  the  beginning  of 
the  action;  but  German  supports  coming  up  in 
heavy  masses  had  at  last  cut  them  to  pieces;  they 
had  bombarded  Wissembourg,  and  set  fire  to  the 
town ;  only  a  few  of  our  men  had  been  able  to  re- 
treat to  the  cover  of  the  woods  of  Bitche  going  up 
the  Vosse.  It  was  said  that  a  general  had  been 
killed,  and  that  villages  were  lying  in  ruins. 

It  \vas  at  Bouxviller  that  my  cousin  had  heard  of 
this  disaster,  some  of  the  light  horsemen  having  ar- 
rived the  same  evening.  There  was  also  a  talk  of 
deserters;  as  if  soldiers,  after  being  routed,  without 
knowledge  of  a  woody  country  full  of  mountains, 


84  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

going  straight  before  them  to  escape  from  the 
enemy,  should  be  denounced  as  deserters.  This  is 
one  of  the  abominations  that  we  have  seen  since  that 
time.  Many  heartless  people  preferred  crying  out 
that  these  poor  soldiers  had  deserted  rather  than  give 
them  bread  and  wine :  it  was  more  convenient,  and 
cheaper. 

"  Now,"  said  George,  "  all  the  army  of  Stras- 
bourg, and  that  of  the  interior,  who  should  have 
been  in  perfect  order,  fresh,  rested,  and  provided 
with  everything  at  Haguenau,  but  the  rear  of  which 
is  still  lagging  behind  on  the  railways  as  far  as  Lune- 
ville;  all  these  are  running  down  there,  to  check 
the  invasion.  Fourteen  regiments  of  cavalry,  prin- 
cipally cuirassiers  and  chasseurs,  are  assembling  at 
Brumath.  Something  is  expected  there;  Mac- 
Mahon  is  already  on  the  heights  of  Reichshoffen, 
with  the  commander  of  engineers,  Mohl,  of  Hague- 
nau, and  other  staff  officers,  to  select  his  position. 
As  fast  as  the  troops  arrive  they  extend  before  Nie- 
derbronn.  I  heard  this  from  some  people  who  were 
flying  with  wives  and  children,  their  beds  and  other 
chattels  on  carts,  as  I  was  leaving  Bouxviller  about 
three  o'clock.  They  wanted  to  reach  the  fort  of 
Petite  Pierre ;  but  hearing  that  the  fort  is  occupied 
by  a  company,  they  have  moved  toward  Strasbourg. 
I  think  they  were  right.  A  great  city,  like  Stras- 
bourg, has  always  more  resources  than  a  small  place, 
where  they  have  only  a  few  palisades  stuck  up  to 
hide  fifty  men." 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  85 

This  was  what  Cousin  George  had  learned  that 
very  day. 

Hearing  him  speak,  my  first  thought  was  to  run 
to  the  mill,  load  as  much  furniture  as  I  could  upon 
two  wagons,  and  drive  at  once  to  Phalsbourg;  but 
my  cousin  told  me  that  the  gates  would  be  closed; 
that  we  should  have  to  wait  outside  until  the  reopen- 
ing of  the  barriers,  and  that  we  must  hope  that  it 
would  be  time  enough  to-morrow. 

According  to  him,  the  great  battle  would  not  be 
fought  for  two  or  three  days  yet,  because  a  great 
number  of  Germans  had  yet  to  cross  the  river,  and 
they  would,  no  doubt,  be  opposed.  It  is  true  that 
the  fifty  thousand  men  who  had  made  themselves 
masters  of  Wissembourg  might  descend  the  Sauer; 
but  then  we  should  be  nearly  equal,  and  it  was  to 
the  interest  of  the  Germans  only  to  fight  when  they 
were  three  to  one.  George  had  heard  some  officers 
discussing  this  point  at  the  inn,  in  the  presence  of 
many  listeners,  and  he  believed,  according  to  this, 
that  the  5th  army  corps,  which  was  extending  in  the 
direction  of  Metz,  by  Bitche  and  Sarreguemines, 
under  the  orders  of  General  de  Failly,  would  have 
time  to  arrive  and  support  MacMahon.  I  thought 
so,  too :  it  seemed  a  matter  of  course. 

We  talked  over  these  miseries  till  nine  o'clock. 
My  wife  and  Gredel  had  come  to  carry  their  quar- 
rels even  to  my  Cousin  Marie  Anne's,  w)io  said  to 
them:  "Oh!  do  try  to  be  reasonable.  AY  hat  mat- 
ter two  or  three  hams,  Catherine?  Perhaps  you 


86  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

will  soon  be  glad  to  know  that  they  have  done  good 
to  Jacob,  instead  of  seeing  them  eaten  up  by  Uhlans 
under  your  own  eyes." 

You  may  be  sure  that  my  wife  did  not  agree  with 
this.  But  at  ten  o'clock,  Cousin  Marie  Anne,  full  of 
thought,  having  said  that  her  husband  was  tired  and 
that  he  had  need  of  rest,  we  left,  after  having  wished 
him  good-evening,  and  we  returned  home. 

That  night — if  my  wife  had  not  awoke  from  time 
to  time,  to  tell  me  that  we  were  robbed,  that  the 
thieves  were  taking  everything  from  us,  and  that  we 
should  be  ruined  at  last — I  should  have  slept  very 
well ;  but  there  seemed  no  end  to  her  worrying,  and 
I  saw  that  she  suspected  Gredel  of  having  given  the 
hams  to  Michel  for  Jean  Baptiste  Werner,  without, 
however,  daring  to  say  so  much.  I  was  thinking  of 
other  things,  and  was  glad  to  see  her  go  down  in  the 
morning  to  attend  to  her  kitchen;  not  till  then  did  I 
get  an  hour  or  two  of  sleep. 

The  next  day  all  was  quiet  in  the  village;  every- 
body had  hid  his  valuables,  and  they  only  feared  one 
thing,  and  that  was  a  sortie  from  Phalsbourg  to 
carry  off  our  cattle.  All  the  children  were  set  to 
watch  in  the  direction  of  Wechem;  and  if  anything 
had  stirred  in  that  quarter,  all  the  cattle  would  have 
been  driven  into  the  woods  in  ten  minutes. 

But  there  was  no  movement.  All  the  soldiers  of 
the  line  had  gone,  and  the  commanding  officer,  Tail- 
lant,  could  not  send  the  lads  of  our  village  to  carry 
away  their  own  parents'  cattle. 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  87 

So  all  this  day,  the  10th  of  August,  was  quiet 
enough  in  our  mountains. 

About  twelve  o'clock  some  wood-cutters  of  Krap- 
penfelz  came  to  tell  us  that  they  could  hear  cannon 
on  the  heights  of  the  Falberg,  in  the  direction  of 
Alsace;  but  they  were  not  believed,  and  it  was 
said: 

"  These  are  inventions  to  frighten  us."  For 
many  people  take  a  pleasure  in  frightening 
others. 

All  was  quiet  until  about  ten  o'clock  at  night.  It 
was  very  warm ;  I  was  sitting  on  a  bench  before  my 
mill,  in  my  shirt-sleeves,  thinking  of  all  my  troubles. 
From  time  to  time  a  thick  cloud  overshadowed  the 
moon,  which  had  not  happened  for  a  long  time,  and 
rain  was  hoped  for.  Gredel  was  washing  the  plates 
and  dishes  in  the  kitchen;  my  wife  was  trotting 
up  and  down,  peeping  into  the  cupboards  to  see  if 
anything  else  had  been  stolen  besides  her  hams;  in 
the  village,  windows  and  shutters  were  closing  one 
after  another ;  and  I  was  going  up  to  bed  too,  when 
a  kind  of  a  rumor  rose  from  the  wood  and  attracted 
my  attention;  it  was  a  distant  murmuring;  some- 
thing was  galloping  there,  carts  were  rolling,  a  gust 
of  wind  was  passing.  What  could  it  be  ?  My  wife 
and  Gredel  had  gone  out,  and  were  listening  too. 
At  that  moment,  from  the  other  end  of  the  village, 
arose  a  dispute  which  prevented  us  from  making  out 
this  noise  any  longer,  which  was  approaching  from 
the  mountain,  and  I  said  to  Catherine:  "  The  drunk- 


88  STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

ards  at  the  '  Cruchon  d'Or  '  begin  these  disturbances 
every  night.  I  must  put  an  end  to  that,  for  it  is  a 
disgrace  to  the  parish." 

But  I  had  scarcely  said  this  when  a  crowd  of  peo- 
ple appeared  in  the  street  opposite  the  mill,  shout- 
ing, "  A  deserter!  a  deserter!  " 

And  the  shrill  voice  of  my  deputy  Placiard  rose 
above  all  the  rest,  crying:  "  Take  care  of  the  horse! 
Mind  you  don't  let  him  escape !  " 

A  tall  cuirassier  was  moving  quietly  in  the  midst 
of  all  this  mob,  every  man  in  which  wanted  to  lay 
hold  of  him — one  by  the  arm,  another  by  the  collar. 
He  was  making  no  resistance,  and  his  horse  followed 
him  limping,  and  hanging  his  head;  the  Langard 
was  leading  him  by  the  bridle. 

Placiard  then  seeing  me  at  the  door,  cried :  "  Mon- 
sieur le  Maire,  I  bring  you  a  deserter,  one  of  those 
who  fled  from  Wissembourg,  and  who  are  now 
prowling  about  the  country  to  live  and  glut  at  the 
expense  of  the  country  people.  He  is  drunk  even 
now.  I  caught  him  myself."  All  the  rest,  men 
and  women,  shouted:  "  Shut  him  up  in  a  stable  ! 
Send  for  the  gendarmes  to  fetch  him  away!  Do 
this — do  that  " — and  so  on. 

I  was  much  astonished  to  see  this  fine  tall  fellow, 
with  his  helmet  and  his  cuirass,  who  could  have 
shouldered  his  way  in  a  minute  through  all  these 
people,  going  with  them  like  a  lamb.  Cousin 
George  had  come  up  at  the  same  moment.  We 
hardly  knew  what  to  do  about  this  business,  for  man 


STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  89 

and  horse  were  standing  there  perfectly  still,  as  if 
stupefied. 

At  last  I  felt  I  must  say  something,  and  I  said  : 
<;  Come  in." 

The  ban  gar d  tied  up  the  horse  to  tfie  ring  in  the 
barn,  and  we  all  burst  in  a  great  crowd  into  my  large 
parlor  downstairs,  slamming  the  door  in  the  face  of 
all  those  brawlers  who  had  nothing  to  do  in  the 
house ;  but  they  remained  outside,  never  ceasing  for 
a  moment  to  shout :  "A  deserter!"  And  half  the 
village  was  coming:  in  all  directions  you  could  hear 
the  wooden  clogs  clattering. 

Once  in  the  room,  my  wife  fetched  a  candle  from 
the  kitchen.  Then,  catching  sight  of  this  strong 
and  square-built  man,  with  his  thick  mustaches,  his 
tall  figure,  his  sword  at  his  side,  his  sleeves  and  his 
cuirass  stained  with  blood,  and  the  skin  on  one  side 
of  his  face  torn  away  and  bruised  all  round  to  the 
back  of  the  head,  we  saw  at  once  that  he  was  not  a 
deserter,  and  that  something  terrible  had  happened 
in  our  neighborhood;  and  Placiard  having  again 
begun  to  tell  us  how  he  had  himself  caught  this  sol- 
dier in  his  garden,  where  the  poor  wretch  was  going 
to  hide,  George  cried  indignantly :  "  Come  now, 
does  a  man  like  that  hide  himself?  I  tell  you,  M. 
Placiard,  that  it  would  have  taken  twenty  like  you 
to  hold  him,  if  he  had  chosen  to  resist." 

The  cuirassier  then  turned  his  head  and  gazed  at 
George;  but  he  spoke  not  a  word.  He  seemed  to 
be  mute  with  stupefaction. 


90  STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

"  You  have  come  from  a  fight,  my  friend,  haven't 
you?  "  said  my  cousin,  gently. 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  So  they  have  been  fighting  to-day?  " 

"  Yes." 

"Where?" 

The  cuirassier  pointed  in  the  direction  of  the  Fal- 
berg,  on  the  left  by  the  saw-mills.  "  Down  there." 
he  said,  "  behind  the  mountains.'' 

"AtReichshoffen?" 

"  Yes,  that  is  it :  at  Reichshoffen." 

"  This  man  is  exhausted,"  said  George :  "  Cath- 
erine, bring  some  wine."  My  wife  took  the  bottle 
out  of  the  cupboard  and  filled  a  glass;  but  the 
cuirassier  would  not  drink :  he  looked  on  the  ground 
before  him,  as  if  something  was  before  his  eyes. 
What  he  had  just  told  us  made  us  turn  pale. 

"  And,"  said  George,  "  the  cuirassiers  charged?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  the  soldier,  "  all  of  them." 

"  Where  is  your  regiment  now  ?  "  He  raised  his 
head. 

"  My  regiment  ?  it  is  down  there  in  the  vine- 
yards, amongst  the  hops,  in  the  river.  ..." 

"What!  in  the  river?" 

"  Yes :  there  are  no  more  cuirassiers !  " 

"  No  more  cuirassiers?  "  cried  my  cousin;  "the 
six  regiments  ? " 

"  Yes,  it  is  all  over!  "  said  the  soldier,  in  a  low 
voice :  "  the  grapeshot  has  mown  them  down. 
There  are  none  left !  " 


"TUB  QKAPESHOT  HAS  MOWN  THEM  DOWN.    THERE  ABB  NONE  LETT!" 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  91 

"  Oh!  "  cried  Placiard,  "  now  you  see:  what  did 
I  say?  He  is  one  of  those  villains  who  propagate 
false  reports.  Can  six  regiments  be  mown  down? 
Did  you  not  yourself  say,  Monsieur  le  Maire,  that 
those  six  regiments  alone  would  bear  down  every- 
thing before  them  ? " 

I  could  answer  nothing;  but  the  perspiration  ran 
down  my  face. 

"  You  must  lock  him  up  somewhere,  and  let  the 
gendarmes  know,"  2ontinued  Placiard.  "  Such  are 
the  orders  of  Monsieur  le  Sous-prefet." 

The  cuirassier  wiped  with  his  sleeves  the  blood 
which  was  trickling  upon  his  cheek;  he  appeared  to 
hear  nothing. 

Out  of  all  the  open  windows  were  leaning 
the  forms  of  the  village  people,  with  attentive 
ears. 

George  and  I  looked  at  each  other  in  alarm. 

"  You  have  blood  upon  you,"  said  my  cousin, 
pointing  to  the  soldier's  cuirass,  who  started  and  an- 
swered : 

"  Yes;  that  is  the  blood  of  a  white  lancer:  I  killed 
him!" 

"  And  that  wound  upon  your  cheek?  " 

"  That  was  given  me  with  a  sword  handle.  I  got 
that  from  a  Bavarian  officer — it  stunned  me — I 
could  no  longer  see — my  horse  galloped  away  with 
me." 

"  So  you  were  hand-to-hand  ?  " 

"Yes,  twice;  we  could  not  use  our  swords:   the 


92  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

men  caught  hold  of  one  another,  fought  and  killed 
one  another  with  sword  hilts." 

Placiard  was  again  going  to  begin  his  exclama- 
tions, when  George  became  furious:  "Hold  your 
tongue,  you  abominable  toady!  Are  you  not 
ashamed  of  insulting  a  brave  soldier,  who  has  fought 
for  his  country? " 

"  Monsieur  le  Maire,"  cried  Placiard,  "  will  you 
suffer  me  to  be  insulted  under  your  roof  while  I  am 
fulfilling  my  duties  as  deputy  ?  " 

I  was  much  puzzled :  but  George,  looking  angrily 
at  him,  was  going  to  answer  for  me ;  when  a  loud  cry 
arose  outside  in  the  midst  of  a  furious  clattering  of 
horses:  a  terrible  cry,  which  pierced  to  the  very 
marrow  of  our  bones. 

"  The  Prussians !     The  Prussians !  " 

At  the  same  moment  a  troop  of  disbanded  horse- 
men were  flying  past  our  windows  at  full  speed :  they 
flashed  past  us  like  lightning;  the  crowd  fell  back; 
the  women  screamed :  "  Lord  have  mercy  upon  us ! 
we  are  all  lost !  " 

After  these  cries,  and  the  passage  of  these  men,  I 
stood  as  if  rooted  to  the  floor,  listening  to  what  was 
going  on  outside;  but  in  another  minute  all  was  si- 
lence. Turning  round,  I  saw  that  everybody, 
neighbors,  men  and  women,  Placiard,  the  rural  po- 
liceman, all  had  slipped  out  behind.  Gredel,  my 
wife,  George,  the  cuirassier,  and  myself,  stood  alone 
in  the  room.  My  cousin  said  to  me :  "  This  man 
has  told  you  the  truth;  the  great  battle  has  been 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  93 

fought  and  lost  to-day !  These  are  the  first  fugitives 
who  have  just  passed.  Now  is  the  time  for  calmness 
and  courage ;  let  everybody  be  prepared :  we  are  go- 
ing to  witness  terrible  things." 

And  turning  to  the  soldier:  "  You  may  go,  my 
friend,"  he  said,  "  your  horse  is  there;  but  if  you 
had  rather  stay " 

"  No;  I  will  not  be  made  prisoner!  " 

"  Then  come,  I  will  put  you  on  the  way." 

We  went  out  together.  The  horse  before  the 
barn  had  not  moved;  I  helped  the  cuirassier  to 
mount:  George  said  to  him:  "  Here,  on  the  right, 
is  the  road  to  Metz;  on  the  left  to  Phalsbourg;  at 
Phalsbourg,  by  going  to  the  right,  you  will  be  on  the 
road  to  Paris." 

And  the  horse  began  to  walk,  dragging  itself  pain- 
fully. Then  only  did  we  see  that  a  shred  of  flesh 
was  hanging  down  its  leg,  and  that  it  had  lost  a  great 
deal  of  blood.  My  cousin  followed,  forgetting  to 
say  good-night.  Was  it  possible  to  sleep  after  that  ? 

From  time  to  time  during  the  night  horsemen 
rode  past  at  the  gallop.  Once,  at  daybreak,  I  went 
to  the  mill-dam,  to  look  down  the  valley;  they  were 
coming  out  of  the  woods  by  fives,  sixes,  and  tens, 
leaping  out  of  the  hedges,  smashing  the  young  trees; 
instead  of  following  the  road,  they  passed  through 
the  fields,  crossed  the  river,  and  rode  up  the  hill  in 
front,  without  troubling  about  the  corps.  There 
seemed  no  end  of  them ! 

About  six  the  bells  began  to  ring  for  matins.     It 


94  STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

was  Sunday,  the  7th  August,  1870;  the  weather 
was  magnificent.  Monsieur  le  Cure  crossed  the 
street  at  nine,  to  go  to  church,  but  only  a  few  old 
women  attended  the  service  to  pray. 

Then  commenced  the  endless  passage  of  the  de- 
feated army  retreating  upon  Sarrebourg,  down  the 
valley;  a  spectacle  of  desolation  such  as  I  shall  never 
forget  in  my  life.  Hundreds  of  men  who  could 
scarcely  be  recognized  as  Frenchmen  were  coming 
up  in  disordered  bands;  cavalry,  infantry,  cuiras- 
siers without  cuirasses,  horsemen  on  foot,  foot  sol- 
diers on  horseback,  three-fourths  unarmed !  Crowds 
of  men  without  officers,  all  going  straight  on  in  si- 
lence. 

What  has  always  surprised  me  is  that  no  officers 
were  to  be  seen.  What  had  become  of  them?  I 
cannot  say. 

No  more  singing.  No  more  cries  of  "  Vive 
1'Empereur!"  "A  Berlin!  a  Berlin!" 

Dismay  and  discouragement  were  manifest  in  ev- 
ery countenance. 

Those  who  shall  come  after  will  see  worse  things 
than  this :  since  men  are  wolves,  foxes,  hawks,  owls, 
all  this  must  come  round  again:  a  hundred  times, 
a  thousand  times;  from  age  to  age,  until  the  consum- 
mation of  time :  it  is  the  glory  of  kings  and  emper- 
ors passing  by! 

They  all  cry,  "  Jesus,  have  pity  upon  us,  miser- 
able sinners!  Jesus,  Saviour,  bless  us!  " 

But  all  this  time  they  are  hard  at  work  with  the 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  95 

hooked  bill  and  the  sharp  claws  upon  the  unhappy 
carcass  of  mankind.  Each  tears  away  his  morsel! 
And  yet  they  all  have  faith,  Lutherans  and  Catho- 
lics: they  are  all  worthy  people!  And  so  on  for- 
ever. 

Thus  passed  our  army  after  the  battle  of  Reichs- 
hoffen;  and  the  others  the  Germans  were  follow- 
ing: they  were  at  Haguenau,  at  Tugwiller,  at  Boux- 
viller;  they  were  advancing  from  Dosenheim,  to 
enter  our  valley;  very  soon  we  were  to  see  them! 


CHAPTER  VI 

ALL  that  day  we  were  in  a  state  of  fear,  Gredel 
alone  was  afraid  of  nothing;  she  came  in  and  out, 
bringing  ns  the  news  of  Rothalp. 

Many  people  from  Tugwiller,  Neuwiller,  Dosen- 
heim,  passed  through  the  village  with  carts  full  of 
furniture,  bedding,  mattresses,  all  in  confusion, 
shouting,  calling  to  each  other,  whipping  their 
horses,  turning  round  to  see  if  the  Uhlans  were  not 
at  their  heels;  it  was  the  general  flight  before  the 
deluge.  These  unhappy  beings  had  lost  their 
heads.  They  said  that  the  Prussians  were  taking 
possession  of  all  the  boys  of  fifteen  or  sixteen  to  lead 
their  horses  or  carry  their  bags. 

Two  soldiers  of  the  line  who  passed  about  twelve 
were  still  carrying  their  rifles ;  they  were  white  with 
dust.  I  called  them  in,  through  the  window,  and 
gave  them  a  glass  of  wine.  They  belonged  to  the 
18th,  and  told  us  that  their  regiment  no  longer  ex- 
isted; that  all  their  officers  were  killed  or  wounded; 
that  another  regiment,  I  cannot  remember  which, 
had  fired  upon  them  for  a  long  time ;  that  at  last  am- 
munition was  wanting ;  that  at  the  fort  of  La  Petite 
Pierre  the  garrison  had  refused  to  receive  them ;  and 
that  the  5th  army  corps,  commanded  by  General 
96 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  97 

de  Failly,  posted  in  the  neighborhood  of  Bitche, 
might  have  come  in  time  to  fall  into  position ;  and  a 
good  deal  more  besides. 

These  were  brave  men,  whose  hearts  had  not 
failed  them.  They  started  again  in  the  direction 
of  Phalsbourg,  and  we  wished  them  good  luck. 

In  the  afternoon  Marie  Anne  came  to  see  us. 
Her  husband  had  started  for  the  town  early,  saying 
that  nothing  positive  could  be  learned  in  our  place ; 
that  the  soldiers  saw  nothing  but  their  own  little 
corner  of  the  battle-field,  without  troubling  them- 
selves about  the  rest,  and  that  he  would  learn  ex- 
actly down  there  if  we  had  any  hope  left. 

George  was  to  return  for  dinner;  but  at  seven 
o'clock  he  was  not  home  yet.  His  wife  was  uneasy. 
Bad  news  kept  coming  in;  peasants  were  arriving 
from  Neuwiller,  who  said  that  the  Prussians  were 
already  marching  upon  Saverne,  and  were  making 
requisitions  as  they  went.  The  peasants  were  fly- 
ing to  Dabo  in  the  mountains;  the  women,  through 
force  of  habit,  were  telling  their  beads  as  they 
walked ;  whilst  the  men,  great  consumers  of  eau-de- 
vie,  were  flourishing  their  sticks,  and  looking  in 
their  rear  with  threatening  gestures,  which  did  not 
hinder  them  from  stepping  out  rapidly. 

One  of  these  men,  whom  I  asked  if  he  had  seen 
the  battle,  told  me  that  the  dead  were  heaped  up  in 
the  fields  like  sacks  of  flour  in  my  mill.  I  think 
he  was  inventing  that,  or  he  had  heard  it  from, 
others. 


98  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

Night  was  coming  on,  and  Cousin  Marie 
Anne  was  going  home,  when  all  at  once  George 
came  in. 

"  Is  my  wife  here,  Christian?  "  he  asked. 

"  Yes;  you  will  sup  with  us?  " 

"  No;  I  have  had  something  to  eat  down  there. 
But  what  sights  I  have  seen!  It  is  enough  to  drive 
one  mad." 

"  And  Jacob?  "  asked  my  wife. 

"  Jacob  is  learning  drill.  He  got  a  rifle  the  day 
before  yesterday,  and  to-morrow  he  will  have  to 
fight." 

George  sat  down  in  the  window-corner  while  we 
were  at  supper,  and  he  told  us  that  on  his  arrival  at 
Phalsbourg,  about  six  in  the  morning,  the  gate  of 
France  had  just  been  opened,  but  that  that  of  Ger- 
many, facing  Saverne,  remained  closed;  that  in  that 
direction  from  the  outposts  to  Quatre  Vents,  noth- 
ing was  to  be  seen  but  fugitives,  calling-,  and  firing 
pistol-shots  to  get  themselves  admitted;  that  he  had 
had  time  to  put  up  his  horse  and  cart  at  the  Ville  de 
Bale,  and  to  go  upon  the  ramparts  to  witness  this 
spectacle,  when  at  the  same  instant  the  drawbridge 
fell,  and  the  crowd  of  Turcos,  Zouaves,  foot-soldiers, 
officers,  generals,  all  in  a  confused  mass,  had  rushed 
through  the  gate ;  in  the  whole  number,  he  had  seen 
but  one  flag,  surrounded  by  about  sixty  men  of  the 
55th,  commanded  by  a  lieutenant;  the  rest  were 
mingled  together,  in  hopeless  confusion,  the  most 
part  without  arms,  and  under  no  sort  of  discipline; 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  99 

they  bad  lost  all  respect  for  their  chiefs.  It  was  a 
rout — a  complete  rout. 

He  had  seen  superior  officers  invaded  at  their  own 
tables  under  the  tent  of  the  Cafe  Meyer,  by  private 
soldiers,  and  veterans  throwing  themselves  back  in 
their  chairs  with  elbows  squared  in  the  presence  of 
their  officers,  looking  defiantly  upon  them,  and 
shouting,  "  A  bottle!  "  The  waiters  came  obsequi- 
ously to  wait  upon  them  for  fear  of  a  scene,  whilst 
the  officers  pretending  to  hear  and  see  nothing, 
seemed  to  him  the  worst  thing  he  had  seen  yet.  Yet 
it  was  deserved ;  for  these  officers — officers  of  rank — 
knew  no  more  about  the  roads,  paths,  streams  and 
rivers  of  the  country  than  their  soldiers,  who  knew 
nothing  at  all.  They  did  not  even  know  the  way 
from  Phalsbourg  to  Sarrebourg  by  the  high-road, 
which  a  child  of  eight  might  know. 

He  had  heard  a  staff-officer  ask  if  Sarrebourg  was 
an  open  town;  he  had  seen  whole  battalions  halting 
upon  that  road,  not  knowing  whether  they  were 
right. 

We  should  ourselves  see  these  deplorable  things 
next  day,  for  our  retreating  soldiers  did  nothing  but 
turn  and  turn  again  ten  times  upon  the  same  roads, 
around  the  same  mountains,  and  ended  by  returning 
to  the  same  spot  again  so  tired,  exhausted,  and 
starved,  that  the  Prussians,  if  they  had  come,  would 
only  have  had  to  pick  them  up  at  their  leisure. 

Yet  George  had  one  moment's  satisfaction  in  this 
melancholy  disorganization;  it  was  to  see,  as  he  told 


loo  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

us,  those  sixty  men  of  the  56th  halt  in  good  order 
upon  the  place,  and  there  rest  their  flag  against  a 
tree.  The  lieutenant  who  commanded  them  made 
them  lie  on  the  ground,  near  their  rifles,  and  al- 
most immediately  they  fell  asleep  in  the  midst  of 
the  seething  crowd.  The  young  officer  himself 
went  quietly  to  sit  alone  at  a  small  table  at  the 
cafe. 

"  He,"  said  my  cousin,  "  had  a  map  cut  into 
squares,  which  he  began  to  study  in  detail.  It  gave 
me  pleasure  to  look  at  him ;  he  reminded  me  of  our 
naval  officers.  He  knew  something!  And  whilst 
his  men  were  asleep,  and  his  rescued  flag  was  stand- 
ing there,  he  watched,  after  all  this  terrible  defeat. 
Colonels,  commanders,  were  arriving  depressed  and 
wearied;  the  lieutenant  did  not  stir.  At  last  he 
folded  up  his  map  and  put  it  back  into  his  pocket, 
then  he  went  to  lie  down  in  the  midst  of  his  men, 
and  soon  fell  asleep  too.  He,"  said  my  cousin, 
"  was  an  officer!  As  for  the  rest,  I  look  upon  them 
as  the  cause  of  our  ruin :  they  have  never  command- 
ed, they  have  never  learned.  There  is  no  want  of 
able  men  in  the  artillery  and  engineers ;  but  they  are 
only  there  to  do  their  part :  they  command  only  their 
own  arm,  and  are  compelled  to  obey  superior  orders, 
even  when  those  orders  have  no  sense  in  them." 

One  thing  which  made  my  cousin  tremble  with 
anger,  was  to  learn  that  the  Emperor  had  the  su- 
preme command,  and  that  nothing  might  be  done 
without  taking  his  Majesty's  instructions  at  head- 


STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  101 

quarters :  not  a  bridge  might  be  blown  up,  not  a  tun- 
nel, before  receiving  his  Majesty's  permission! 

"  What  is  the  use  of  sending  or  receiving  de- 
spatches? "  said  George.  "  I  only  hope  our  honest 
man  will  be  found  to  have  given  orders  to  blow  up 
the  Archeviller  tunnel,  or  the  Prussians  will  over- 
run the  whole  of  France;  they  will  convey  their 
guns,  their  munitions  of  war,  their  provisions,  and 
their  men  by  railway,  whilst  our  poor  soldiers  will 
drag  along  on  foot  and  perish  miserably !  " 

Listening  to  him  our  distress  increased  more  and 
more. 

He  had  seen  in  the  place  a  few  guns  saved  from 
capture,  with  their  horses  fearfully  mangled,  and 
already  so  thin  with  overwork,  that  one  might  have 
thought  they  had  come  from  the  farthest  end  of 
Russia.  And  all  these  men,  coming  and  going, 
laid  themselves  down  in  a  line  under  the  walls 
to  sleep,  at  the  risk  of  being  run  over  a  hundred 
times. 

The  doors  and  windows  of  all  the  houses  were 
open;  the  soldiers  might  be  seen  densely  crowded 
in  the  side  streets,  the  passages,  the  rooms,  the  vesti- 
bules and  yards,  busily  eating.  The  townspeople 
gave  them  all  they  had;  the  poorest  shed  tears  that 
they  had  nothing  to  give,  so  many  poor  wretches  in- 
spired pity;  they  were  so  commiserated  that  they 
had  been  beaten.  In  richer  houses  they  were  cook- 
ing from  morning  till  night;  when  one  troop  was 
satisfied  another  took  their  place. 


102  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

George,  relating  these  things,  had  his  eyes  filled 
with  tears. 

"  Well,  there  are  a  good  many  kind  people  in  the 
world  yet,"  said  he.  "  Very  soon  those  poor  Phals- 
bourgers,  when  they  are  blockaded,  will  have  noth- 
ing to  put  into  their  own  mouths;  their  six  weeks' 
victuals  are  already  consumed,  without  mentioning 
their  other  provisions.  Compared  with  these  poor 
townspeople,  we  peasants  are  selfish  monsters." 

He  fixed  his  eyes  upon  us,  and  we  answered  noth- 
ing. I  had  already  driven  our  cows  into  the  wood, 
with  the  flocks  of  the  village.  Doubtless  he  knew 
of  it!  But  surely  we  must  keep  something  to  eat! 
George  was  right;  but  one  cannot  help  thinking  of 
the  morrow:  those  who  do  not  are  sure  to  repent 
sooner  or  later. 

Well,  well — all  the  same,  it  was  very  fine  of  these 
townspeople;  but  they  have  suffered  heavily  for  it: 
during  four  months  the  officer  in  command  kept 
everything  for  his  soldiers,  and  took  away  from  the 
inhabitants  all  that  they  had  whether  they  were  will- 
ing or  not. 

I  do  affirm  these  things.  People  will  take  them 
for  what  they  are  worth;  but  it  is  only  the  simple 
truth!  What  afflicted  us  still  more  was  to  hear 
what  George  had  to  tell  us  of  the  battle. 

In  the  midst  of  that  great  crowd  he  had  long 
sought  for  some  one  to  tell  him  all  about  it.  At  last 
the  sight  of  an  old  sergeant  of  chasseurs-d-pied,  thin 
and  tough  as  whip-cord,  his  sleeve  covered  with 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  103 

stripes,  and  with  a  bright  eye,  made  him  think  : 
"  There's  my  man !  I  am  sure  he  has  had  a  clear 
insight  into  things;  if  he  will  talk  to  me,  I  shall  get 
at  the  bottom  of  the  story." 

So  he  had  invited  him  into  the  inn,  to  take  a  glass 
of  wine.  The  sergeant  examined  him  for  a  mo- 
ment, accepted,  and  they  entered  together  the  Ville 
de  Bale  at  the  end  of  the  court,  for  all  the  rooms 
were  full  of  people ;  and  there,  eating  a  slice  of  ham 
and  drinking  a  couple  of  bottles  of  Lironcourt,  the 
sergeant  having  his  heart  opened,  and  receiving, 
moreover,  a  cent-sous  piece,  had  declared  that  all  our 
misfortunes  arose  from  two  causes:  first,  that  a 
height  on  the  right  had  not  been  occupied,  whence 
the  Germans  had  made  their  appearance  only  about 
twelve  o'clock,  and  from  which  they  could  not  be 
dislodged  because  they  commanded  the  whole  field 
of  battle;  and  because  their  artillery,  more  numer- 
ous and  better  than  ours,  searched  us  through  and 
through  with  shell  and  grape;  their  practice  was  so 
admirable  that  it  was  no  use  falling  back,  or  bearing 
to  the  right  or  the  left:  at  the  first  shot  their  balls 
fell  into  the  midst  of  our  ranks.  We  have  since 
heard  that  the  heights  to  which  the  sergeant  referred 
were  those  of  Gunstedt. 

He  then  told  George  that  the  5th  corps,  com- 
manded by  De  Failly,  which  was  expected  from 
hour  to  hour,  never  appeared  at  all ;  that  even  if  he 
had  come,  we  probably  should  not  have  won  the  bat- 
tle, for  the  Germans  were  three  or  four  to  one — but 


104  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

that  we  might  have  effected  a  retreat  in  good  order 
bj  Niederbronn  upon  Saverne. 

This  old  sergeant  was  from  the  Nievre;  George 
has  often  spoken  to  me  of  him  since,  and  told  me 
that,  in  his  opinion,  he  knew  much  more  than  many 
of  MacMahon's  officers;  that  he  possessed  good 
sense,  and  had  a  clear  perception  of  things.  George 
was  of  opinion  that,  with  a  little  training,  many 
Frenchmen  of  the  lower  ranks  would  be  found  to 
possess  military  genius,  and  that  they  might  be  con- 
fidently relied  upon;  but  that  our  love  of  dancing 
and  plays  had  done  us  harm,  since  it  was  supposed 
that  good  dancers  and  good  actors  would  be  able 
men :  which  would  be  the  cause  of  our  ruin  if  we  did 
not  abandon  such  notions. 

My  cousin  told  me  many  other  things  that  even- 
ing which  have  escaped  my  memory;  our  terrible 
anxiety  for  the  future  prevented  me  from  listening 
properly.  But  all  the  misfortunes  in  the  world 
have  not  the  power  of  depriving  a  man  of  sleep  ; 
though  for  the  last  two  days  we  had  never  slept. 
George  and  his  wife  went  home  about  ten,  and  we 
went  to  bed. 

Next  day  I  had  to  celebrate  the  marriage  of  Chre- 
tien Richi  with  his  first  cousin  Lisbette ;  notice  had 
been  given  for  a  week,  and  when  invitations  are  sent 
out  such  things  cannot  be  postponed.  I  should  have 
liked  to  be  carrying  my  hay  and  straw  into  the  wood, 
for  cattle  cannot  live  upon  air;  and  as  I  was  pressed 
for  time,  I  sent  for  Placiard  to  take  my  place.  But 


STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  105 

he  could  nowhere  be  found ;  he  had  gone  into  hiding 
like  all  the  functionaries  of  the  Empire,  who  are 
always  ready  to  receive  their  salaries  and  to  de- 
nounce people  in  quiet  times,  and  very  sharp  in  tak- 
ing themselves  off  the  moment  they  ought  to  be  at 
their  posts. 

At  ten  o'clock,  then,  I  was  obliged  to  put  on  my 
sash  and  go;  the  wedding  party  were  waiting,  and  1 
went  up  into  the  hall  with  them.  I  sat  in  the  arm- 
chair, telling  the  bridegroom  and  bride  to  draw  near, 
which  of  course  they  did. 

I  was  beginning  to  read  the  chapter  on  the  duties 
of  husband  and  wife,  when  in  a  moment  a  great 
shouting  arose  outside :  "  The  Prussians !  the  Prus- 
sians !  "  One  of  the  groomsmen,  with  his  bunch  of 
roses,  left;  Chretien  Richi  turned  round,  the  bride 
and  the  rest  looked  at  the  door;  and  I  stood  there, 
all  alone,  stuck  fast  with  the  clerk,  Adam  Fix.  In  a 
moment  the  groomsman  returned,  crying  out  that 
the  people  of  Phalsbourg  were  making  a  sortie  into 
the  wood  to  lift  our  cattle;  and  that  they  were  com- 
ing too  to  search  our  houses.  Then  I  could  have 
sent  all  the  wedding-party  to  Patagonia,  when  I 
fancied  the  position  of  my  wife  and  Gredel  in  such 
a  predicament;  but  a  mayor  is  obliged  to  keep  his 
dignity,  and  I  cried  out:  "  Do  you  want  to  be  mar- 
ried? Yes  or  no?" 

They  returned  in  a  moment,  and  answered 
"Yes!" 

"  Well,  you  arc  married !  " 


ic6  STORY    OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

And  I  went  out  while  the  witnesses  signed,  and 
ran  to  the  mill. 

Happily  this  report  of  a  sortie  from  Phalsbourg 
was  false.  A  gendarme  had  just  passed  through  the 
village,  bearing  orders  from  MacMahon,  and  hence 
came  all  this  alarm. 

[Nothing  new  happened  until  seven  in  the 
evening.  A  few  fugitives  were  still  gaining  the 
town;  but  at  nightfall  began  the  passage  of  the 
5th  army  corps,  commanded  by  General  de 
Failly. 

So,  then,  these  thirty  thousand  men,  instead  of 
descending  into  Alsace  by  ISTiederbronn,  were  now 
coming  behind  us  by  the  road  to  Metz,  on  this  side 
of  the  mountains.  They  were  not  even  thinking  of 
defending  our  passes,  but  were  taking  flight  into 
Lorraine ! 

Half  our  village  had  turned  out,  astonished  to  see 
this  army  moving  in  a  compact  mass,  upon  Sarre- 
bourg  and  Fenetrange.  Until  then  it  had  been 
thought  that  a  second  battle  would  be  fought  at 
Saverne.  People  had  been  speaking  of  defending 
the  Falberg,  the  Vachberg,  and  all  the  narrow,  rock- 
strewn  Dasses;  the  roads  through  which  might  have 
been  broken  up  and  defended  with  abatis,  from 
which  a  few  good  shots  might  have  kept  whole  regi- 
ments in  check;  but  the  sight  of  these  thousands  of 
men  who  were  forsaking  us  without  having  fought 
— their  guns,  their  mitrailleuses,  and  the  cavalry 
galloping  and  rolling  in  a  cloud  along  the  highway, 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  107 

to  get  farther  out  of  the  enemy's  reach — made  our 
hearts  bleed.     Nobody  could  understand  it. 

Then  a  poor  disabled  soldier,  lying  on  the  grass, 
told  me  that  they  had  been  ordered  from  Bitche  to 
Niederbronn,  from  Niederbronn  to  Bitche.  and  then 
from  Bitche  to  Petersbach  and  Ottwiller,  by  dread- 
ful roads,  and  that  now  they  could  hold  on  no  lon- 
ger: they  were  all  exhausted!  And  in  spite  of  my- 
self, I  thought  that  if  men  worn  out  to  this  degree 
were  obliged  to  fight  against  fresh  troops  continually 
reinforced,  they  would  be  beaten  before  they  could 
strike  a  blow!  Yes,  indeed,  the  want  of  knowledge 
of  the  country  is  one  of  the  causes  of  our  miseries. 

Gredel,  Catherine,  and  I,  returned  to  the  mill  in 
the  greatest  distress. 

It  had  at  last  begun  to  rain,  after  two  months' 
drought.  It  was  a  heavy  rain,  which  lasted  all  the 
night. 

My  wife  and  Gredel  had  gone  to  bed,  but  I  could 
not  close  my  eyes.  I  walked  up  and  down  in  the 
mill,  listening  to  this  down-pour,  the  heavy  rum- 
bling of  the  guns,  the  pattering  of  endless  footsteps 
in  the  mud.  It  was  march,  march — marching  with- 
out a  pause. 

How  melancholy  !  and  how  I  pitied  these  un- 
happy soldiers,  spent  with  hunger  and  fatigue,  and 
compelled  to  retreat  thus. 

Now  and  then  I  looked  at  them  through  the  win- 
dow-panes, down  which  the  rain  was  streaming. 
They  were  marching  on  foot,  on  horseback,  one  by 


lo8  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

one,  by  companies,  in  troops,  like  shadows.  And 
every  time  that  I  opened  the  window  to  let  in  fresh 
air,  in  the  midst  of  this  vast  trampling  of  feet,  those 
neighings,  and  sometimes  the  curses  of  the  soldiers 
of  the  artillery-train,  or  the  horseman  whose  horse 
had  dropped  from  fatigue  or  refused  to  move  far- 
ther, I  could  hear  in  the  far  distance,  across  the 
plain  two  or  three  leagues  from  us,  the  whistle  of  the 
trains  still  coming  and  going  in  the  passes. 

Then  noticing  upon  the  wall  one  of  those  maps  of 
the  theatre  of  war  which  the  Government  had  sent 
us  three  weeks  ago,  and  which  extended  from  Al- 
sace as  far  as  Poland,  I  tore  it  down,  crumpled  it  up 
in  my  hand,  and  flung  it  out.  Everything  came 
back  to  me  full  of  disgust.  Those  maps,  those  fine 
maps,  were  part  of  the  play ;  just  like  the  conspira- 
cies devised  by  the  police,  and  the  explanations  of 
the  sous-prefets  to  make  us  vote  "  Yes  "  in  the  Ple- 
biscite. Oh,  you  play-actors!  you  gang  of  swin- 
dlers! Have  you  done  enough  yet  to  lead  astray 
your  imbecile  people?  Have  you  made  them  mis- 
erable enough  with  your  ill-contrived  plays? 

And  it  is  said  that  the  whole  affair  is  going  to  bo 
played  over  again:  that  they  mean  to  put  a  ring 
through  our  noses  to  lead  us  along;  that  many 
rogues  are  reckoning  upon  it  to  settle  their  little 
affairs,  to  slip  back  into  their  old  shoes  and  get  fat 
again  by  slow  degrees,  humping  their  backs  just  like 
our  cure's  cat  when  she  has  found  her  saucer  again 
after  having  taken  a  turn  in  the  woods  or  the  gar- 


STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 


109 


den :  it  is  possible,  indeed !  But  then  France  will  be 
an  object  of  contempt;  and  if  those  fellows  succeed, 
she  will  be  worse  than  contemptible,  and  honorable 
men  will  blush  to  be  called  Frenchmen ! 

At  daybreak  I  went  to  raise  the  mill-dam,  for  this 
heavy  rain  had  overflowed  the  sluice.  The  last 
stragglers  were  passing.  As  I  was  looking  up  the 
village,  my  neighbor  Ritter,  the  publican,  was  com- 
ing out  from  under  the  cart-shed  with  his  lantern;  a 
stranger  was  following  him — a  young  man  in  a  gray 
overcoat,  tight  trousers,  a  kind  of  leather  portfolio 
hanging  at  his  side,  a  small  felt  hat  turned  up  over 
his  ears,  and  a  red  ribbon  at  his  button-hole. 

This  I  concluded  was  a  Parisian;  for  all  the  Pa- 
risians are  alike,  just  as  the  English  are:  you  may 
tell  them  among  a  thousand. 

I  looked  and  listened. 

"  So,"  said  this  man,  "  you  have  no  horse?  " 

"  N"o,  sir;  all  our  beasts  are  in  the  wood,  and  at 
such  a  time  as  this  we  cannot  leave  the  village." 

"  But  twenty  francs  are  pretty  good  pay  for  four 
or  five  hours." 

"  Yes,  at  ordinary  times;  but  not  now." 

Then  I  advanced,  asking :  "  Monsieur  offers 
twenty  francs  to  go  what  distance  ?  " 

"  To  Sarrebourg,"  said  the  stranger,  astonished 
to  see  me. 

"  If  you  will  say  thirty,  I  will  undertake  to  con- 
vey you  there.  I  am  a  miller;  I  always  want  my 
horses;  there  are  no  others  in  the  village." 


no  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

"  Well,  do;  put  in  your  horses." 

These  thirty  francs  for  eight  leagues  had  flashed 
upon  me.  My  wife  had  just  come  down  into  the 
kitchen,  and  I  told  her  of  it;  she  thought  I  was  doing 
right. 

Having  then  eaten  a  mouthful,  with  a  glass  of 
wine,  I  went  out  to  harness  my  horses  to  my  light 
cart.  The  Parisian  was  already  there  waiting  for 
me,  his  leather  portmanteau  in  his  hand.  I  threw 
into  the  cart  a  bundle  of  straw;  he  sat  down  near  me, 
and  we  went  off  at  a  trot. 

This  stranger  seeing  my  dappled  grays  galloping 
through  the  mud,  seemed  pleased.  First  he  asked 
me  the  news  of  our  part  of  the  country,  which  I  told 
him  from  the  beginning.  Then  in  his  turn  he  be- 
gan to  tell  me  a  good  deal  that  was  not  yet  known  by 
us.  He  composed  gazettes;  he  was  one  of  those  who 
followed  the  Emperor  to  record  his  victories.  He 
was  coming  from  Metz,  and  told  me  that  General 
Frossard  had  just  lost  a  great  battle  at  Forbach, 
through  his  own  fault  in  not  being  in  the  field  while 
his  troops  were  fighting,  but  being  engaged  at  bill- 
iards instead. 

You  may  be  sure  I  felt  that  to  be  impossible;  it 
would  be  too  abominable;  but  the  Parisian  said  so  it 
was,  and  so  have  many  repeated  since. 

"  So  that  the  Prussians,"  said  he,  "  broke 
through  us,  and  I  have  had  to  lose  a  horse  to  get  out 
of  the  confusion:  the  Uhlans  were  pursuing;  they 
followed  nearly  to  a  place  called  Droulingen." 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  m 

"  That  is  only  four  leagues  from  this  place,"  said 
I.  "  Are  they  already  there?  " 

"  Yes;  but  they  fell  back  immediately  to  rejoin 
the  main  body,  which  is  advancing  upon  Toul.  I 
had  hoped  to  recover  lost  ground  by  telling  of  our 
victories  in  Alsace;  unfortunately  at  Droulingen, 
the  sad  news  of  Reichshoffen,*  and  the  alarm  of 
the  flying  inhabitants,  have  informed  me  that  we 
are  driven  in  along  our  whole  line;  there  is  no 
doubt  these  Prussians  are  strong;  they  are  very 
strong.  But  the  Emperor  will  arrange  all  that  with 
Bismarck !  " 

Then  he  told  me  there  was  an  understanding  be- 
tween the  Emperor  and  Bismarck;  that  the  Prus- 
sians would  take  Alsace;  that  they  would  give  us 
Belgium  in  exchange;  that  we  should  pay  the  ex- 
penses of  the  war,  and  then  things  would  all  return 
into  their  old  routine. 

"  His  Majesty  is  indisposed,"  said  he,  "  and  has 
need  of  rest;  we  shall  soon  have  Napoleon  IV.,  with 
the  regency  of  her  Majesty  the  Empress,  the  French 
are  fond  of  change." 

Thus  spoke  this  newspaper-writer,  who  had  been 
decorated,  who  can  tell  why  ?  He  thought  of  noth- 
ing but  of  getting  safe  into  Sarrebourg,  to  catch  the 
train,  and  send  a  letter  to  his  paper;  nothing  else 
mattered  to  him.  It  is  well  that  I  had  taken  a  pair 
of  horses,  for  it  went  on  raining.  Suddenly  we 
came  upon  the  rear  of  De  Failly's  army;  his  guns, 
*  Called  generally  by  us,  the  Battle  of  "Woerth. 


112  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

powder-wagons,  and  his  regiments  so  crowded  the 
road,  that  I  had  to  take  to  the  fields,  my  wheels  sink- 
ing in  up  to  the  axle-trees. 

Nearing  Sarrebourg,  we  saw  also  on  our  left  the 
rear  of  the  other  routed  army,  the  Turcos,  the  Zou- 
aves, the  chasseurs,  the  long  trains  of  MacMahon's 
guns;  so  that  we  were  between  the  two  fugitive 
routs:  De  Failly's  troops,  by  their  disorder,  looked 
just  as  if  they  had  been  defeated,  like  the  other 
army.  All  the  people  who  have  seen  this  in  our 
country  can  confirm  my  account,  though  it  seems 
incredible. 

At  last,  I  arrived  at  the  Sarrebourg  station,  when 
the  Parisian  paid  me  thirty  francs,  which  my  horses 
had  fairly  earned.  The  families  of  all  the  railway 
employes  were  just  getting  into  the  train  for  Paris; 
and  you  may  be  sure  that  this  Government  newspa- 
per-writer was  delighted  to  find  himself  there.  He 
had  his  free  pass:  but  for  that  the  unlucky  man 
would  have  had  to  stay  against  his  will;  like  many 
others  who  at  the  present  time  are  boasting  loud- 
ly of  having  made  a  firm  stand,  waiting  for  the 
enemy. 

I  quickly  started  home  again  by  cross-roads,  and 
about  twelve  I  reached  Rothalp.  The  artillery  was 
thundering  amongst  the  mountains;  crowds  of  peo- 
ple were  climbing  and  running  down  the  little  hill 
near  the  church  to  listen  to  the  distant  roar.  Cousin 
George  was  calmly  smoking  his  pipe  at  the  window, 
looking  at  all  these  people  coming  and  going. 


THE  AltTILLEIty  WAS  THUNDERING  AMONGST  THB  MOUNTAIN*. 


STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  113 

"  What  is  going  on? "  said  I,  stopping  my  cart 
before  his  door. 

"  Nothing,"  said  he;  "  only  the  Prussians  at- 
tacking the  little  fort  of  Lichtenberg.  But  where 
are  you  coming  from?  " 

"  From  Sarrebourg." 

And  I  related  to  him  in  a  few  words  what  the 
Parisian  had  told  me. 

"  Ah !  now  it  is  all  plain,"  said  he.  "  I  could 
not  understand  why  the  5th  corps  was  filing  off  into 
Lorraine,  without  making  one  day's  stand  in  our 
mountains,  which  are  so  easily  defended:  it  did 
really  seem  too  cowardly.  But  now  that  Frossard 
is  beaten  at  Forbach,  the  thing  is  explained:  our 
flank  is  turned.  De  Failly  is  afraid  of  being  taken 
between  two  victorious  armies.  He  has  only  to 
gain  ground,  for  the  cattle-dealer  David  has  just 
told  me  that  he  has  seen  Uhlans  behind  Fenetrange. 
The  line  of  the  Vosges  is  surrendered ;  and  we  owe 
this  misfortune  to  Monsieur  Frossard,  tutor  to  the 
Prince  Imperial !  " 

The  school-master,  Adam  Fix,  was  then  coming 
down  from  the  hill  with  his  wife,  and  cried  that 
a  battle  was  going  on  near  Bitche.  He  did  not 
stop,  on  account  of  the  rain.  George  told  me  to 
listen  a  few  minutes.  We  could  hear  deep  and 
distant  reports  of  heavy  guns,  and  others  not  so 
loud. 

"  Those  heavy  reports,"  said  George,  "  come  from 
the  great  siege-guns  of  the  fort;  the  others  are  the 
8 


II4  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

enemy's  lighter  artillery.  At  this  moment,  the  Ger- 
man army,  at  six  leagues  from  us,  victorious  in  Al- 
sace, is  on  the  road  from  Woerth  to  Siewettler,  to 
unite  with  the  army  that  is  moving  on  Metz;  it  is 
defiling  past  the  guns  of  the  fort.  To-morrow  we 
shall  see  their  advanced  guard  march  past  us.  It  is 
a  melancholy  story,  to  be  defeated  through  the  fault 
of  an  imbecile  and  his  courtiers;  but  we  must  al- 
ways remember,  as  a  small  consolation,  to  every 
man  his  turn."  He  began  again  to  smoke,  and  I 
went  on  my  way  home,  where  I  put  up  my  horses. 
I  had  earned  my  thirty  francs  in  six  hours;  but 
this  did  not  give  me  complete  satisfaction.  My  wif e 
and  Gredel  were  also  on  the  hill  listening  to  the  fir- 
ing; half  the  village  were  up  there;  and  all  at  once 
I  saw  Placiard,  who  could  not  be  found  the  day  be- 
fore, jumping  through  the  gardens,  puffing  and 
panting  for  breath. 

"  You  hear,  Monsieur  le  Maire,"  he  cried — "  you 
hear  the  battle?  It  is  King  Victor  Emmanuel  com- 
ing to  our  help  with  a  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
men!" 

At  this  I  could  no  longer  contain  myself,  and  I 
cried,  "  Monsieur  Placiard,  if  you  take  me  for  a 
fool,  you  are  quite  mistaken;  and  if  you  are  one, 
you  had  better  hold  your  tongue.  It  is  no  use 
any  longer  telling  these  poor  people  false  news, 
as  you  have  been  doing  for  eighteen  years,  to  keep 
up  their  hopes  to  the  last  moment.  This  will  never 
more  bring  tobacco-excise  to  you,  and  stamp-offices 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  115 

to  your  sons.  The  time  for  play-acting  is  over. 
You  are  telling  me  this  through  love  of  lying;  but 
I  have  had  enough  of  all  these  abominable  tricks;  I 
now  see  things  clearly.  We  have  been  plundered 
from  end  to  end  by  fellows  of  your  sort,  and  now 
we  are  going  to  pay  for  you,  without  having  had 
any  benefit  ourselves.  If  the  Prussians  become  our 
masters,  if  they  bestow  places  and  salaries,  you  will 
be  their  best  friend;  you  will  denounce  the  patriots 
in  the  commune,  and  you  will  have  them  to  vote 
plebiscites  for  Bismarck!  "What  does  it  matter  to 
you  whether  you  are  a  Frenchman  or  a  German? 
Your  true  lord,  your  true  king,  your  true  emperor, 
is  the  man  who  pays!  " 

As  fast  as  I  spoke  my  wrath  increased,  and  all 
at  once  I  shouted :  "  Wait,  Monsieur  1' Adjoint, 
wait  till  I  come  out;  I  will  pay  you  off  for  the  Em- 
peror, for  his  Ministers,  and  all  the  infamous  crew 
of  your  sort  who  have  brought  the  Prussians  into 
France!  "  But  I  had  scarcely  reached  the  door, 
when  he  had  already  turned  the  corner. 


CHAPTEE  VH 

ON  tliat  day  we  had  yet  more  alarms. 

Between  one  and  two  o'clock,  standing  before 
my  mill,  I  fancied  I  could  hear  a  drum  beating 
up  the  valley.  All  the  village  was  lamenting,  and 
crying,  "  Here  are  the  Prussians!  " 

All  along  the  street,  people  were  coming  out, 
gazing,  listening;  boys  ran  into  the  woods,  mothers 
screamed.  A  few  men  more  fearful  than  the  rest 
went  off  too,  each  with  a  loaf  under  his  arm ;  women 
raised  their  hands  to  Heaven,  calling  them  back  and 
declaring  they  would  go  with  them.  And  whilst  I 
was  gazing  upon  this  sad  spectacle,  suddenly  two 
carts  came  up,  full  gallop,  from  the  valle j  of  Grauf- 
thal. 

It  was  the  noise  of  these  two  vehicles  that  I  had 
mistaken  for  drums  approaching.  A  week  later  I 
should  not  have  made  this  mistake,  for  the  Germans 
steal  along  like  wolves:  there  is  no  drumming  or 
bugling,  as  with  us;  and  you  have  twenty  thousand 
men  on  your  hands  before  you  know  it. 

The  people  riding  in  the  carts  were  crying,  "  The 
Prussians  are  at  the  back  of  the  saw-mills !  " 

They  could  be  heard  afar  off;  especially  the 
women,  who  were  raising  themselves  in  the  cart, 
throwing  up  their  hands. 

lift 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  117 

At  a  hundred  yards  from  the  mill  the  cart 
stopped,  and  recognizing  Father  Diemer,  municipal 
councillor,  who  was  driving,  I  cried  to  him,  "  Hallo, 
Diemer!  pull  up  a  moment.  What  is  going  on 
down  there? " 

"  The  Prussians  are  coming,  Monsieur  le  Maire," 
he  said. 

"  Oh,  well,  well,  if  they  must  come  sooner  or 
later,  what  does  it  signify  ?  Do  come  down." 

He  came  down,  and  told  me  that  he  had  been  that 
morning  to  the  forest-house  of  Domenthal  in  his 
conveyance,  to  fetch  away  his  wife  and  daughter  who 
had  been  staying  there  with  relations  for  a  few  days; 
and  that  on  his  way  back  he  had  seen  in  a  little  val- 
ley, the  Fischbachel,  Prussian  infantry,  their  arms 
stacked,  resting  on  the  edge  of  the  wood,  making 
themselves  at  home;  which  had  made  him  gallop 
away  in  a  hurry. 

That  was  what  he  had  seen. 

Then  other  men  came  up,  woodmen,  who  said 
that  they  were  some  of  our  own  light  infantry,  and 
that  Diemer  had  made  a  mistake;  then  more  ar- 
rived, declaring  that  they  were  Prussians;  and  so  it 
went  on  till  night. 

About  seven  o'clock  I  saw  an  old  French  soldier, 
the  last  who  oame  through  our  village;  his  leg  was 
bandaged  with  a  handkerchief,  and  he  sat  upon  the 
bench  before  my  house  asking  me  for  a  piece  of 
bread  and  a  glass  of  water,  for  the  love  of  God!  I 
went  directly  and  told  Gredel  to  fetch  him  bread 


n8  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

and  wine.  She  poured  out  the  wine  herself  for  this 
poor  fellow,  who  was  suffering  great  pain.  He  had 
a  ball  in  his  leg;  and,  in  truth,  the  wound  smelt 
badly,  for  he  had  not  been  able  to  dress  it,  and  he 
had  dragged  himself  through  the  woods  from 
Woerth. 

He  had  eaten  nothing  for  twenty-four  hours,  and 
told  us  that  the  colonel  of  his  regiment  had  fallen, 
crying,  "  Friends,  you  are  badly  commanded ! 
Cease  to  obey  your  generals!  " 

He  only  rested  for  a  few  minutes,  not  to  let  his 
leg  grow  stiff,  and  went  on  his  weary  way  to  Phals- 
bourg. 

He  was  the  last  French  soldier  that  I  saw  after 
the  battle  of  Keichshoffen. 

At  night  we  were  told  that  the  peasants  of  Grauf- 
thal  had  found  a  gun  stuck  fast  in  the  valley;  and 
two  hours  later,  whilst  we  were  supping,  our  neigh- 
bor Katel  came  in  pale  as  death,  crying,  "  The  Prus- 
sians are  at  your  door!  " 

Then  I  went  out.  Ten  or  fifteen  Uhlans  were 
standing  there  smoking  their  short  wooden  pipes, 
and  watering  their  horses  at  the  mill-stream. 

Imagine  my  surprise,  especially  when  one  of 
these  Uhlans  began  to  greet  me  in  bad  Prussian- 
German:  "  Oho!  good-evening,  Monsieur  le  Maire! 
I  hope  you  have  been  pretty  well,  Monsieur  le 
Maire,  since  I  last  had  not  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
you? " 

He  was  the  officer  of  the  troop.    My  wife,  and 


STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  119 

Gredel,  too,  were  looking  from  the  door.  As  I  made 
no  answer,  lie  said,  ".And  Mademoiselle  Gredel! 
here  you  arc,  as  fresh  and  as  happy  as  ever.  I  sup- 
pose you  still  sing  morning  and  evening,  while  you 
are  washing  up? " 

Then  Gredel,  who  has  good  eyes,  cried,  "  It  is  that 
great  knave  who  came  to  take  views  in  our  country 
last  year  with  his  little  box  on  four  long  legs!  " 

And,  even  in  the  dusk,  I  could  recognize  one  of 
those  German  photographers  who  had  been  travel- 
ling about  the  mountains  a  few  months  before,  tak- 
ing the  likenesses  of  all  our  village  folks.  This 
man's  name  was  Otto  Krell;  he  was  tall,  pale,  and 
thin,  his  nose  was  like  a  razor  back,  and  he  had  a  way 
of  winking  with  his  left  eye  while  paying  you  com- 
pliments. Ah!  the  scoundrel!  it  was  he,  indeed, 
and  now  he  was  an  Uhlan  officer:  when  Gredel  had 
spoken,  I  recognized  him  perfectly. 

"  Exactly  so,  Mademoiselle  Gredel/'  said  he, 
from  his  tall  horse.  "  It  is  I  myself.  You  would 
have  made  a  good  gendarme;  you  would  have 
known  a  rogue  from  an  honest  man  in  a  moment." 

He  burst  out  laughing,  and  Gredel  said,  "  Speak 
in  a  language  I  can  understand;  I  cannot  make 
out  your  patois," 

"  But  you  understand  very  well  the  patois  of 
Monsieur  Jean  Baptiste  Werner,"  answered  this 
gallows-Jbird,  making  a  grimace.  "  How  is  good 
Monsieur  Jean  Baptiste  ?  Is  he  in  as  good  spirits  as 
ever?  Have  you  still  got  your  little  likeness  of  him, 


I2D  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

you  know,  close  to  your  heart — that  young  gentle- 
man, I  mean,  that  I  had  to  take  three  times,  be- 
cause he  never  came  out  handsome  enough  ? " 

Then  Gredel,  ashamed,  ran  into  the  house,  and 
my  wife  took  refuge  in  her  room. 

Then  he  said  to  me,  "  I  am  glad  to  see  you,  Mon- 
sieur le  Maire,  in  such  excellent  health.  I  came 
to  you,  first  of  all,  to  wish  you  good-morning;  but 
then,  I  must  acknowledge,  my  visit  has  another 
object." 

And  as  I  still  answered  nothing,  being  too  full  of 
indignation,  he  asked  me: 

"  Have  you  still  got  those  nice  Swiss  cows?  splen- 
did animals  ?  and  the  twenty-five  sheep  you  had  last 
year?" 

I  understood  in  a  moment  what  he  was  driving 
at,  and  I  cried :  "  We  have  nothing  at  all ;  there  is 
nothing  in  this  village;  we  are  all  ruined;  we  can- 
not furnish  you  a  single  thing." 

"  Oh !  come  now,  please  don't  be  angry,  Monsieur 
Weber.  I  took  your  likeness,  with  your  scarlet 
waistcoat  and  your  great  square-cut  coat;  I  know 
you  very  well,  indeed !  you  are  a  fine  fellow !  I  have 
orders  to  inform  you  that  to-morrow  morning  15,000 
men  will  call  here  for  refreshments;  that  they  are 
fond  of  good  beef  and  mutton,  and  not  above  enjoy- 
ing good  white  bread,  and  wine  of  Alsace,  also  vege- 
tables, and  coffee,  and  French  cigars.  On  this  paper 
you  will  find  a  list  of  what  they  want.  So  you  had 
better  make  the  necessary  arrangements  to  satisfy 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  121 

them;  or  else,  Monsieur  le  Maire,  they  will  help 
themselves  to  your  cows,  even  if  they  have  to-go  and 
look  for  them  in  the  woods  of  the  Biechelberg, 
where  you  have  sent  them;  they  will  help  them- 
selves to  your  sacks  of  flour,  and  your  wine,  that 
nice,  light  wine  of  Rikevir;  they  will  take  every- 
thing, and  then  they  will  burn  down  your  house. 
Take  my  advice,  welcome  them  as  German  brothers, 
coming  to  deliver  you  from  French  bondage:  for 
you  are  Germans,  Monsieur  Weber,  in  this  part  of 
the  country.  Therefore  prepare  this  requisition 
yourself.  If  you  want  a  thing  done  well,  do  it  your- 
self; you  will  find  this  plan  most  advantageous.  It 
is  out  of  friendship  to  you,  as  a  German  brother,  and 
in  return  for  the  good  dinner  you  gave  me  last  year 
that  I  say  this.  And  now,  good-night." 

He  turned  round  to  his  men,  and  all  together 
filed  off  in  the  darkness,  going  up  by  the  left  toward 
Berlingen. 

Then,  without  even  going  into  my  own  house, 
I  ran  to  my  cousin's,  to  tell  him  what  had  happened. 
He  was  going  to  bed. 

"  Well,  what  is  the  matter?  "  said  he. 

Completely  upset,  I  told  him  the  visit  I  had  had 
from  these  robbers,  and  what  demands  they  had 
made.  My  cousin  and  his  wife  listened  attentively; 
then  George,  after  a  minute's  thought,  said: 
"  Christian,  force  is  force!  If  15,000  men  are  to 
pass  here,  it  means  that  15,000  will  pass  by  Metting, 
15,000  by  Quatre  Vents,  15,000  by  Liitzelbourg, 


122  STORY    OF   THE    PLEBISCITE 

and  so  forth.  We  are  invaded ;  Phalsbourg  will  be 
blockaded,  and  if  we  stir,  we  shall  be  knocked  on  the 
head  without  notice  before  we  can  count  ten.  What 
would  you  have?  It's  war!  Those  who  lose  must 
pay  the  bill.  The  good  men  who  have  been  plunder" 
ing  us  for  eighteen  years  have  lost  for  us,  and  we  are 
going  to  pay  for  them;  that  is  plain  enough.  Only, 
if  we  make  grimaces  while  we  pay,  they  ask  more; 
and  if  we  go  to  work  without  much  grumbling,  they 
will  shave  us  not  quite  so  close :  they  will  pretend  to 
treat  us  with  consideration  and  indulgence;  they 
won't  rob  quite  so  roughly;  they  will  be  a  little 
more  gentle,  and  strip  you  with  more  civility.  I 
have  seen  that  in  my  campaigns.  Here  is  the  advice 
which  I  give,  for  your  own  and  everybody  else's  in- 
terest. First  of  all,  this  very  evening,  you  must  send 
for  your  cows  from  the  Biechelberg;  you  will  tell 
David  Hertz  to  drive  the  two  best  to  his  slaughter- 
house; and  when  the  Prussians  come  and 'they  have 
seen  these  two  fine  animals,  David  will  kill  them  be- 
fore their  eyes.  He  will  distribute  the  pieces  under 
the  orders  of  the  commanders.  That  will  just  make 
broth  in  the  morning  for  the  15,000  men,  and  if  that 
is  not  enough,  send  for  my  best  cow.  All  the  village 
will  be  pleased,  and  they  will  say,  (  The  mayor  and 
his  cousin  are  sacrificing  themselves  for  the  com- 
mune.' 

"  That  will  be  a  very  good  beginning;  but  then 
as  we  shall  have  begun  with  ourselves,  and  nobody 
can  make  any  objection  after  that,  you  had  better 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  123 

put  an  ox  of  Placiard's  under  requisition,  then  a  cow 
of  Jean  Adam's,  then  another  of  Father  Diemer's, 
and  so  on,  in  proportion  to  their  wants;  and  that 
will  go  on  till  the  end  of  the  cows,  the  oxen,  the 
pigs,  the  sheep  and  the  goats.  And  you  must  do 
the  same  with  the  bread,  the  flour,  the  vegetables, 
the  wine;  always  beginning  at  you  and  me.  It  is 
sad ;  it  is  a  great  trouble ;  but  his  Majesty  the  Em- 
peror, his  Ministers,  his  relations,  his  friends  and  ac- 
quaintances have  gambled  away  our  hay,  our  straw, 
our  cattle,  our  money,  our  meadows,  our  houses,  our 
sons,  and  ourselves,  pretending  all  the  while  to  con- 
sult us;  they  have  lost  like  fools:  they  never  kept 
their  eye  on  the  game,  because  their  own  little  provi- 
sion was  already  laid  by,  somewhere  in  Switzerland, 
in  Italy,  in  England,  or  elsewhere;  and  they  risked 
nothing  but  that  vast  flock  which  they  were  always 
accustomed  to  shear,  and  which  they  call  the  people. 
Well,  my  poor  Christian,  that  flock  is  ourselves — we 
peasants!  If  I  were  younger;  if  I  could  make 
forced  marches  as  I  did  at  thirty,  I  should  join  the 
army  and  fight;  but  in  the  present  state  of  things, 
all  I  can  do  is,  like  you,  to  bow  down  my  back,  with 
a  heart  full  of  wrath,  until  the  nation  has  more 
sense,  and  appoints  other  chiefs  to  command." 

The  advice  of  George  met  with  my  approbation, 
and  I  sent  the  herdsmen  to  fetch  my  cows  at  the 
Biechelberg.  I  told  him,  besides,  to  give  notice  to 
the  principal  inhabitants  that  if  they  did  not  bring 
back  their  beasts  to  the  village,  the  Prussians  would 


124  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

go  themselves  and  fetch  them,  because  they 
the  country  roads  better  than  ourselves;  and  that 
they  would  put  into  the  pot  first  of  all  the  cattle  of 
those  who  did  not  come  forward  willingly. 

My  wife  and  Gredel  were  standing  by  as  I  gave 
this  order  to  Martin  Kopp:  they  exclaimed  against 
it,  saying  that  I  was  losing  my  senses;  but  I  had 
more  sense  than  they  had,  and  I  followed  the  advice 
of  George,  who  had  never  misled  me. 

It  was  on  the  night  of  the  9th  to  the  10th  of  Au- 
gust that  the  small  fortress  of  Lichtenberg,  defended 
by  a  few  veterans  without  ammunition,  opened  its 
gates  to  the  Prussians;  that  MacMahon  left  Sarre- 
bourg  with  the  remainder  of  his  forces,  without 
blowing  up  the  tunnel  at  Archeviller,  because  his 
Majesty's  orders  had  not  arrived;  that  the  Germans, 
concentrated  at  Saverne,  after  extending  right  and 
left  from  Phalsbourg,  sent  first  their  Uhlans  by  the 
valley  of  Liitzelbourg  to  inspect  the  railway,  suppos- 
ing that  it  would  be  blown  up,  then  sent  an  engine 
through  the  tunnel,  then  ventured  a  train  laden  with 
stones,  and  were  much  astonished  to  find  it  arriving 
in  Lorraine  without  difficulty;  that  MacMahon 
made  his  retreat  on  foot,  whilst  they  advanced  on 
trucks  and  carriages:  and  that  they  were  able  to 
send  on  their  guns,  their  stores,  their  provisions, 
their  horses  and  their  men  toward  Paris;  maintain- 
ing their  troops  by  exhausting  the  provisions  of  Al- 
sace and  the  other  side  of  the  Vosges.  These  things 
we  learned  afterward. 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  125 

That  same  night  the  Prussians  put  their  first  guns 
into  battery  at  the  Quatre  Vents  to  bombard  the 
town,  whilst  they  went  completely  round  to  the 
other  side,  by  the  fine  road  over  the  Falberg,  which 
seemed  to  have  been  constructed  through  the  for- 
est expressly  for  their  convenience. 

They  lost  no  time,  examined  and  inspected 
everything,  and  found  everything  in  perfect  order 
to  suit  their  convenience. 

That  night  passed  away  quietly;  they  had  too 
many  things  to  look  after  to  trouble  themselves 
about  our  little  village  hidden  in  the  woods,  know- 
ing well  that  we  could  neither  run  away  nor  de- 
fend ourselves;  for  all  our  young  men  were  in  the 
town,  and  we  were  unarmed  and  without  any  ma- 
terial of  war.  They  left  us  to  be  gobbled  up  when- 
ever they  liked. 

Many  have  asserted,  and  still  believe,  that  we 
have  been  delivered  up  to  the  Germans  in  exchange 
for  Belgium ;  because  Alsace,  according  to  the  Em- 
peror, was  a  German  and  Lutheran  country,  and 
Belgium,  French  and  Catholic.  But  Cousin  George 
has  always  said  that  these  conjectures  were  errone- 
ous, and  that  our  misfortunes  arose  entirely  from 
the  thievishness  of  the  Government;  and  chiefly 
of  those  who,  under  color  of  upholding  the  dynasty, 
were  making  a  good  bag,  granted  themselves  pen- 
sions, enriched  themselves  by  sweeping  strokes  of 
cunning,  and  became  great  men  at  a  cheap  rate: 
and  also  from  the  folly  of  the  people,  who  were  kept 


126  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

steeped  in  ignorance,  to  make  them  praise  the 
tricks  and  the  robberies  of  the  rest. 

My  opinion  is  the  same. 

It  was  the  cupidity  of  some  in  depriving  the 
country  of  a  powerful  and  numerous  army,  able 
to  defend  us;  whilst,  on  the  other  hand,  they  de- 
prived what  army  there  was  of  provisions,  arms, 
and  munitions  of  war":  surely  this  was  enough! 
There  is  no  need  to  go  further  to  seek  for  the  causes 
of  our  shame  and  our  miseries. 

Therefore  our  cattle  returned  from  the  Biechel- 
berg  in  obedience  to  my  orders;  and  my  two  best 
cows  waited  in  the  stable,  eating  a  few  handfuls 
of  hay,  until  the  first  requisition  of  the  Prussians 
should  arrive. 

The  village  people  who  saw  this  highly  approved 
of  my  conduct,  never  imagining  that  their  turn 
would  come  so  soon. 

Time  passed  away,  and  it  was  supposed  that  this 
quiet  might  last  a  good  while,  when  a  squadron  of 
Prussian  lancers,  and,  a  little  farther  on,  a  squad- 
ron of  hussars,  appeared  at  the  bottom  of  our  val- 
ley. 

For  an  advanced  guard  they  had  a  few  Uhlans 
— an  order  which  we  have  since  noticed  they  ob- 
served constantly;  three  hundred  paces  to  the  front 
rode  two  horsemen,  each  with  a  pistol  in  his  hand 
resting  on  the  thigh,  and  who  halted  from  time  to 
time  to  question  people,  threatening  to  kill  them  if 
they  did  not  give  plain  answers  to  their  questions; 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  127 

and  behind  them  came  the  main  body,  always  at 
the  same  distance. 

We,  standing  under  our  projecting  eaves,  or 
leaning  out  of  our  windows,  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren, gazed  upon  the  men  who  were  coming  to  de- 
vour us,  to  ruin  us,  and  strip  the  very  flesh  off  our 
bones.  It  was,  as  it  were,  the  Plebiscite  advancing 
upon  us  under  our  own  eyes,  armed  with  pistol  and 
sword,  the  guns  and  the  bayonets  behind. 

First,  the  cavalry  extended  from  the  hill  at  Ber- 
lingen  to  the  Graufthal,  to  Wechem,  to  Mittel- 
bronn,  and  farther  still;  then  marched  up  several 
regiments  of  infantry,  their  black  and  white  stand- 
ards flying. 

We  were  watching  all  this  without  stirring. 
The  officers,  in  spiked  helmets,  were  galloping  to 
and  fro,  carrying  orders;  the  cure  Daniel,  in  his 
presbytery,  had  lifted  his  little  white  blinds,  and 
our  neighbor  Katel  exclaimed,  "  Dear,  dear,  one 
would  never  have  thought  there  could  be  so  many 
heretics  in  the  world." 

This  is  exactly  the  state  of  ignorance  that  had 
been  kept  up  amongst  us  from  generation  to  gen- 
eration: making  people  believe  that  there  was  no- 
body in  the  universe  besides  themselves;  that  we 
were  a  thousand  to  one,  and  that  our  religion  was 
universal.  Pure  and  simple  folly,  upheld  by  lies! 

It  was  a  great  help  to  us  to  have  such  grand 
notions  about  ourselves!  It  made  us  feel  enor- 
mously strong! 


128  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

But  hypocrites  can  always  get  out  of  their 
scrapes :  they  vanish  in  the  distance  with  well-lined 
pockets,  and  their  victims  are  left  behind  sticking 
in  the  mud  up  to  the  chin! 

Since  our  reverend  fathers  the  Jesuits  have  so 
many  spies  posted  about  in  the  world,  they  should 
have  told  us  how  strong  the  heretics  were,  and  not 
suffered  us  to  believe  until  the  last  that  we  were  the 
only  masters  of  the  earth.  But  they  considered: 
"  These  French  fools  will  allow  themselves  to  be 
hacked  down  to  the  very  last  man  for  our  honor; 
they  will  drive  back  the  Lutherans;  and  then  we 
shall  make  a  great  figure :  the  Holy  Father  will  be 
infallible,  and  we  shall  rule  under  his  name." 

These  things  are  so  evident  now,  that  one  is  al- 
most ashamed  to  mention  them. 

As  soon  as  the  cavalry  were  posted  on  the  heights 
of  the  place,  at  the  rear  of  the  hills,  the  infantry 
regiments,  standing  with  ordered  arms,  began  to 
march  off. 

I  could  hear  from  my  door  the  loud  voices  of  the 
officers,  the  neighing  of  the  horses,  and  the  depart- 
ure of  the  battalions,  which  filed  off,  keeping  step 
in  admirable  order.  Ah!  if  our  officers  had  been 
as  highly  trained,  and  our  soldiers  as  firmly  disci- 
plined as  the  Germans,  Alsace  and  Lorraine  would 
still  have  been  French. 

I  may  be  told  that  a  good  patriot  ought  to  re- 
frain from  saying  such  things;  but  what  is  the  use 
of  hiding  facts?  Would  hiding  them  prevent  them 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  129 

from  being  true?  I  say  these  things  on  purpose 
to  open  people's  eyes.  If  we  want  to  recover  what 
we  have  lost,  everything  must  be  changed;  our  of- 
ficers must  be  educated,  our  soldiers  disciplined,  our 
contractors  must  supply  stores,  clothing,  and  provi- 
sions without  blunders  and  deficiencies,  or  if  they 
fail  they  must  be  shot;  the  life  of  a  brave  and  gen- 
erous nation  is  better  worth  than  that  of  a  knave, 
whose  ignorance,  laziness,  or  cupidity  may  cause 
the  loss  of  provinces. 

AVe  must  have  a  large,  national  army,  like  that 
of  the  Germans,  and,  to  possess  this  army,  every 
man  must  serve;  the  cripples  and  deformed  in  of- 
fices; every  man  besides,  in  the  ranks.  Full  per- 
mission must  be  given  to  wear  spectacles,  which  do 
not  hinder  a  man  from  fighting;  and  citizens,  as 
well  as  workmen  and  peasants,  must  come  under 
fire.  Unless  we  do  this,  we  shall  be  beaten — beaten 
again,  and  utterly  ruined ! 

And  above  all,  as  Cousin  George  said,  we  must 
place  at  the  head  of  affairs  a  man  with  a  cool  head, 
a  warm  heart,  and  great  experience;  in  whose  eyes 
the  honor  of  the  nation  shall  be  above  his  own  in- 
terest, and  on  whose  word  all  men  may  rely,  be- 
cause he  has  already  proved  that  his  confidence  in 
himself  will  not  desert  him,  even  in  the  most  peril- 
ous times. 

But  we  are  yet  very  far  from  this;  and  one  would 
really  believe,  in  looking  at  the  conceited  counte- 
nances of  the  fugitives  who  are  returning  from  Eng- 


130  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

land,  Belgium,  Switzerland,  and  farther  yet,  that 
they  have  won  important  victories,  and  that  the 
country  does  them  injustice  in  not  hailing  them  as 
deliverers. 

And  now  I  will  quietly  pursue  this  history  of 
our  village;  whoever  wants  to  come  round  me  again 
with  hypocritical  pretences  of  honesty,  will  have  to 
get  up  very  early  in  the  morning  indeed. 

After  the  Germans  had  posted  their  infantry 
within  the  squares  formed  by  the  cavalry,  they 
dragged  guns  and  ammunition  up  the  height  of 
Wechem,  in  the  rear  of  our  hills.  Then  the 
thoughts  of  Jacob,  and  all  our  poor  lads,  whom 
they  were  going  to  shell,  came  upon  us,  and  mother 
began  to  cry  bitterly.  Gredel,  too,  thinking  of  her 
Jean  Baptiste,  had  become  furious;  if,  by  misfort- 
une, we  had  had  a  gun  in  the  house,  she  would 
have  been  quite  capable  of  firing  upon  the  Prus- 
sians, and  so  getting  us  all  exterminated;  she  ran 
upstairs  and  downstairs,  put  her  head  out  at  the 
window,  and  a  German  having  raised  his  head,  say- 
ing, "  Oh!  what  a  pretty  girl!  "  she  shouted,  "  Be 
sure  always  to  come  out  ten  against  one,  or  it  will 
be  all  up  with  you!  " 

x  I  was  downstairs,  and  you  may  imagine  my 
alarm.  I  went  up  to  beg  her  to  be  quiet,  if  she  did 
not  want  the  whole  village  to  be  destroyed;  but  she 
answered  rudely,  "  I  don't  care — let  them  burn  us 
all  out!  I  wish  I  was  in  the  town,  and  not  with  all 
these  thieves." 


"  TRT  TO   BE  ALWAYS  TEN   AGAINST  ONE  !  " 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  131 

I  went  down  quickly,  not  to  hear  more. 

The  rain  had  begun  to  fall  again,  and  these  Prus- 
sians kept  pouring  in,  by  regiments,  by  squadrons: 
more  than  forty  thousand  men  covered  the  plain; 
some  formed  in  the  fields,  in  the  meadows,  tram- 
pling down  the  second  crop  of  grass  and  the  potatoes 
— all  our  hopes  were  there  under  their  feet!  others 
went  on  their  way ;  their  wheels  sunk  into  the  clay, 
but  they  had  such  excellent  horses  that  all  went  on 
under  the  lashes  of  their  long  whips,  as  the  Ger- 
mans use  them.  They  climbed  up  all  the  slopes; 
the  hedges  and  young  trees  were  bent  and  broken 
everywhere. 

AY  hen  might  is  right,  and  you  feel  yourself  the 
weakest,  silence  is  wisdom. 

The  report  ran  that  they  were  going  to  attack 
Phalsbourg  in  the  afternoon;  and  our  poor  Mo- 
biles, and  our  sixty  artillery  recruits  pressed  to 
serve  the  guns,  were  about  to  have  a  dreadful  storm 
falling  upon  them,  as  a  beginning  to  their  experi- 
ence. Those  heaps  of  shells  they  were  hurrying 
up  to  Wechem  forced  from  us  all  cries  of  "  Poor 
town !  poor  townspeople !  poor  women !  poor  chil- 
dren!" 

The  rain  increased,  and  the  river  overflowed  its 
banks  down  all  the  valley  from  Graufthal  to  Met- 
ting.  A  few  officers  were  walking  down  the  street 
to  look  for  shelter;  I  saw  a  good  number  go  into 
Cousin  George's,  principally  hussars,  and  at  the 
same  moment  a  gentleman  in  a  round  hat,  black 


I32  STORY  OF  THE  PLEBISCITE 

cloak  and  trousers,  stepped  before  the  mill  and 
asked  me:  "  Monsieur  le  Maire?  " 

"  I  am  the  mayor." 

"  Very  good.  I  am  the  army  chaplain,  and  I 
am  come  to  lodge  with  you." 

I  thought  that  better  than  having  ten  or  fifteen 
scoundrels  in  my  house;  but  he  had  scarcely  closed 
his  lips  when  another  came,  an  officer  of  light  horse, 
who  cried :  "  His  highness  has  chosen  this  house  to 
lodge  in." 

Very  good — what  could  I  reply? 

A  brigadier,  who  was  following  this  officer, 
springs  off  his  horse,  goes  under  the  shed,  and  peeps 
into  the  stable.  "  Turn  out  all  that,"  said  he. 

"  Turn  out  my  horses,  my  cattle?  "  I  exclaimed. 

"  Yes — and  quickly  too.  His  highness  has  twelve 
horses :  he  must  have  room." 

I  was  going  to  answer,  but  the  officer  began  to 
swear  and  storm  so  loudly,  without  listening  to  any- 
thing I  could  plead,  shouting  at  me  that  every  one 
of  my  beasts  would  be  driven  to  be  slaughtered 
immediately  if  I  made  any  difficulty,  that  without 
saying  another  word,  I  drove  them  all  out,  my  heart 
swelling,  and  my  head  bowed  with  despair.  Gre- 
del,  watching  from  her  window,  saw  this,  and  com- 
ing down,  red  with  anger,  said  to  the  officer:  "  You 
must  be  a  great  coward  to  behave  so  roughly  to  an 
old  man  who  cannot  defend  himself." 

My  hair  stood  on  end  with  horror;  but  the  of- 
ficer vouchsafed  not  a  word,  and  went  off  instantly. 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  133 

Then  the  chaplain  whispered  in  my  ear:  "  You 
are  going  to  have  the  honor  of  entertaining  Mon- 
seigneur,  the  reigning  Duke  of  Saxe-Meiningen, 
and  you  must  call  him  '  Your  highness.' ' 

I  thought  with  myself:  "  You,  and  your  high- 
ness, and  all  the  highnesses  in  the  world,  I  wish  you 
were  all  of  you  five  hundred  thousand  feet  in  the 
bowels  of  the  earth.  You  are  a  bad  lot.  You  came 
into  the  world  for  the  misery  of  mankind.  Thieves! 
rogues!  " 

I  only  thought  these  things:  I  would  not  have 
said  them  for  the  world.  Several  persons  had  been 
shot  in  our  mountains  the  last  two  days — fathers  of 
families — and  the  remembrance  of  these  things 
makes  one  prudent. 

As  I  was  reflecting  upon  our  misfortunes,  his 
highness  arrived,  with  his  aides-de-camp  and  his 
servants.  They  alighted,  entered  the  house,  hung 
up  their  wet  clothes  against  the  wall,  and  filled  the 
kitchen.  My  wife  ran  upstairs,  I  stood  in  a  corner 
behind  the  stove:  we  had  nothing  left  to  call  our 
own. 

This  Duke  of  Saxe  was  so  tall  that  he  could 
scarcely  walk  upright  under  my  roof.  lie  was  a 
handsome  man,  covered  with  gold-lace  ornaments; 
and  so  were  the  two  great  villains  who  followed 
him — Colonel  Egloffstein  and  Major  Baron  d'En- 
gel.  Yes,  I  could  find  «o  fault  with  them  on  ac- 
count of  their  height  or  their  appetites;  nor  did 
they  seem  to  mind  us  in  the  least.  They  laughed, 


134  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

they  chatted,  they  swung  themselves  round  in  my 
room,  jingling  their  swords  on  the  stone  floor,  on 
the  stairs,  everywhere,  without  paying  the  smallest 
attention  to  me — I  seemed  to  be  in  their  house. 

From  their  arrival  until  their  departure,  the  fire 
never  once  went  out  in  my  kitchen;  my  wood 
blazed;  my  pans  and  kettles,  my  roasting-jack, 
went  on  with  their  business;  they  twisted  the  necks 
of  my  fowls,  my  ducks,  my  geese,  plucked  them, 
and  roasted  them:  they  fetched  splendid  pieces  of 
beef,  which  they  minced  to  make  rissoles,  and  sliced 
to  make  what  they  called  "  biftecks  "  ;  then  they 
opened  my  drawers  and  cupboards,  spread  my  table- 
cloths on  my  table,  rinsed  out  my  glasses  and  my 
bottles,  and  fetched  my  wine  out  of  my  cellar. 

They  waited  upon  his  highness  and  his  officers; 
the  doors  and  windows  stood  open,  the  rain  poured 
in;  orderlies  came  on  horseback  to  receive  orders, 
and  darted  away;  and  about  five  o'clock  the  guns 
began  to  thunder  and  roar  at  Quatre  Vents.  The 
bombardment  was  beginning  in  that  direction; 
the  two  bastions  of  the  arsenal  and  the  bakery 
answered. 

That  was  the  bombardment  of  the  llth,  in  which 
Thibaut's  house  was  delivered  to  the  flames.  It 
would  be  long  before  we  should  see  the  last  of  it; 
but  as  we  had  never  before  heard  the  like,  and  these 
rolling  thunders  filled  our  valley  between  the  woods 
and  the  rocks  of  Biechelberg,  we  trembled. 

Gredel,  every  time  that  our  heavy  guns  replied, 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  135 

said:  "Those  are  ours;  we  are  not  all  dead  yet! 
Do  you  hear  that  ?  " 

I  pushed  her  out,  and  his  highness  asked, 
"What  is  that?" 

"  Nothing,"  said  I;  "it  is  only  my  daughter: 
she  is  crazy." 

About  a  quarter  to  seven  the  firing  ceased. 

The  Baron  d'Engel,  who  had  gone  out  a  few 
minutes  before,  came  back  to  say  that  a  flag  of  truce 
had  gone  to  summon  the  place  to  surrender;  and 
that  on  its  refusal  the  bombardment  would  re-open 
at  once. 

There  was  a  short  silence.  His  highness  was 
eating. 

Suddenly  entered  a  colonel  of  hussars — a  hide- 
ous being,  with  a  retreating  forehead,  a  squint  in  his 
eye,  and  red  hair — decorated  all  over  with  ribbons 
and  crosses,  like  a  North  American  Indian.  He 
walks  in.  Salutations,  hand-shaking  all  round,  and 
a  good  deal  of  laughing.  They  seat  themselves 
again,  they  devour — they  swallow  everything! 
And  that  hussar  begins  telling  that  he  has  taken 
MacMahon's  tent — a  magnificent  tent,  with  mir- 
rors, china,  ladies'  hats  and  crinolines.  He  laughed, 
grinning  up  to  his  ears;  and  his  highness  was 
highly  delighted,  saying  that  MacMahon  would 
have  given  a  representation  of  his  victory  to  the 
great  ladies  of  Paris. 

Of  course  this  was  an  abominable  lie;  but  the 
Prussians  are  not  afraid  of  lying. 


136  STORY    OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

That  hussar — whose  name  I  cannot  remember, 
although  I  have  often  heard  it  from  others — said 
besides,  that,  after  having  ridden  a  couple  of  hours 
through  the  forest  of  Elsashausen,  he  had  fallen  up- 
on the  village  of  Gundershoffen,  where  a  few  com- 
panies of  French  infantry  had  established  them- 
selves, and  that  he  had  surprised  and  massacred 
them  all  to  the  last  man,  without  the  loss  of  a  single 
horseman ! 

Then  he  began  to  laugh  again,  saying  that  in  war 
you  often  might  have  an  agreeable  time  of  it,  and 
that  this  would  be  among  his  most  cheerful  remi- 
niscences. 

Hearing  him  from  my  seat  behind  the  stove,  I 
said:  "  And  are  these  men  called  Christians?  Why, 
they  are  worse  than  wolves!  They  would  drink 
human  blood  out  of  skulls,  and  boast  of  it !  " 

They  went  on  talking  in  this  fashion,  when  a  very 
young  officer  came  to  say  that  the  defenders  of 
Phalsbourg  refused  to  surrender,  and  that  they  were 
going  to  shell  the  town,  to  set  fire  to  it. 

I  could  listen  no  longer.  Gredel  and  my  wife 
went  to  shut  themselves  in  upstairs,  and  I  went  out 
to  breathe  a  different  air  from  these  wild  monsters. 

It  was  raining  still.  I  wanted  fresh  air — I 
should  have  liked  to  throw  myself  into  the  river 
with  all  my  clothes  on. 

Fresh  regiments  were  passing.  !N"ow  it  was  white 
cuirassiers;  they  extended  along  the  meadows  below 
Metting;  other  regiments  in  dense  masses  advanced 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  137 

on  Sarrebourg.  Down  there  the  bayonets  and  the 
helmets  sparkled  and  glistened  in  the  setting  sun, 
in  spite  of  the  torrents  of  rain.  It  was  easy  to  see 
that  our  unfortunate  army  of  two  hundred  thousand 
men  could  not  resist  such  a  deluge. 

But  the  three  hundred  thousand  other  soldiers 
that  we  should  have  had,  and  which  we  had  been 
paying  for  the  last  eighteen  years,  where  then  were 
they?  They  were  in  the  reports  presented  by  the 
Ministers  of  War  to  the  Legislative  Assembly;  and 
the  money  which  should  have  paid  for  their  com- 
plete equipment  and  their  armament,  that  was  in 
London,  put  down  to  his  Majesty's  account  :  the 
honest  man,  he  had  laid  up  savings. 

All  these  Germans,  encamped  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  see  under  the  rain,  were  beginning  to  cut 
down  our  fruit-trees  to  warm  themselves;  in  all  di- 
rections our  beautiful  apple-trees,  our  pear-trees, 
still  laden  with  fruit,  came  to  the  ground ;  then  they 
were  stripped  bare,  chopped  to  pieces,  and  burnt 
with  the  sap  in  them:  the  falling  rain  did  not  pre- 
vent the  wood  from  lighting,  on  account  of  the  quan- 
tity underneath  which  the  fire  dried  at  last. 

The  whole  plain  and  the  table-land  above  were  in 
a  blaze  with  these  fires. 

What  a  loss  for  the  country! 

It  had  taken  fifty-six  years,  since  1814,  to  grow 
these  trees;  they  were  in  full  bearing;  for  fifty  years 
our  children  and  grand-children  will  not  see  their 
equals  around  our  village;  the  whole  are  destroyed! 


138  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

"With  this  spectacle  before  my  eyes,  indignation 
stifled  my  voice;  I  turned  my  eyes  away,  and  went 
to  Cousin  George's,  hoping  to  hear  there  a  few  words 
of  encouragement. 

I  was  right;  the  house  was  full;  Cousin  Marie 
Anne,  a  bold  and  unceremonious  woman,  was  busy 
cooking  for  all  her  lodgers.  Amongst  the  number 
were  two  of  her  old  customers  at  the  Rue  Mouffet- 
ard;  a  Jew,  who  had  come  to  Paris  to  learn  garden- 
ing at  the  Jardin  des  Plantes,  and  a  saddler,  both 
seated  near  the  hearth  with  an  appearance  of  shame 
and  melancholy  in  their  countenances.  The  sol- 
diers, who  were  crowding  even  the  passage,  smoked, 
and  examined  now  and  then  to  see  if  the  meat  and 
potatoes  looked  promising  in  the  big  copper  in  the 
washhouse:  there  was  no  other  in  the  house  large 
enough  to  boil  such  a  large  quantity  of  provisions. 

Every  soldier  had  an  enormous  slice  of  beef,  a 
loaf,  a  portion  of  wine,  and  even  some  ground  cof- 
fee; some  had  under  their  arms  a  rope  of  onions, 
turnips,  a  head  of  cabbage,  stolen  right  and  left. 
These  were  the  hussars. 

In  the  large  parlor  were  the  officers,  who  had  just 
returned  in  succession  from  their  reconnaissances; 
as  they  went  up  into  the  room,  you  could  hear  the 
clanking  of  their  swords  and  their  huge  boots  mak- 
ing the  staircase  shake. 

As  I  was  coming  in  by  the  back  door,  not  having 
been  able  to  make  way  through  the  passage,  George 
was  coming  out  of  the  room;  he  saw  me  above  the 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  139 

helmets  of  all  these  people,  and  cried  to  me :  "  Chris- 
tian! stay  outside;  I  am  stifled  here!  I  am  com- 
ing!  » 

Room  was  made  for  him,  and  we  went  down  to- 
gether into  the  garden,  under  the  shelter  of  his  stack 
of  wood.  Then  he  lighted  a  pipe,  and  asked  me: 
"  "Well,  how  are  you  going  on  down  there? " 

I  told  him  all. 

"  I,"  said  he,  "  have  already  had  to  receive  the 
colonel  of  the  hussars  last  night.  An  hour  after  the 
visit  of  the  Uhlans,  there  is  a  tap  on  the  shutters;  I 
open.  Two  squadrons  of  hussars  were  standing 
there,  round  the  house;  there  was  no  way  of  escape." 

"'Open!' 

"  I  obey.  The  colonel,  a  sort  of  a  wolf,  whom  I 
saw  just  now  going  to  your  house,  enters  the  first, 
pistol  in  hand;  he  examines  all  round:  '  You  are 
alone?7 

"  '  Yes;  with  my  wife.' 

"'Very  well!' 

"  Then  he  went  into  the  passage,  and  called  an 
aide-de-camp.  Three  or  four  soldiers  came  in ;  they 
carry  chairs  and  a  table  into  the  kitchen.  The  col- 
onel unfolds  a  large  map  upon  the  floor;  he  takes  off 
his  boots,  and  lays  himself  upon  it.  Then  he  calls: 
'  Such  a  one,  are  you  here? ' 

"  t  Present,  colonel.' 

"  Then  six  or  seven  captains  and  lieutenants  en- 
ter. 

"  '  Such  an  one,  do  you  see  the  road  to  Melting  I  * 


140  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

"  They  had  all  taken  small  maps  out  of  their 
pockets. 

"' Yes,  colonel.' 

"  '  And  from  Metting  to  Sarrebourg? ' 

"  '  Yes,  colonel.' 

"  '  Tell  me  the  names.' 

"  And  the  officer  named  the  villages,  the  farms, 
the  streams,  the  rivers,  the  clumps  of  wood,  the 
curves  in  the  road,  and  even  the  intersection  of  foot- 
paths. 

"  The  colonel  followed  with  his  nail. 

"  '  That  will  do !  Now  go  and  take  twenty  men 
and  push  on  as  far  as  St.  Jean,  by  such  a  road.  You 
will  see !  In  case  of  resistance,  you  will  inform  me. 
Come,  sharp! ' 

"  And  the  officer  goes  off. 

"  The  colonel,  still  lying  upon  his  map,  calls  an- 
other. 

" '  Present,  colonel.' 

"  '  You  see  Lixheim? ' 
'    "'  Yes,  colonel/ 

"  And  so  on. 

"  In  half  an  hour's  time,  he  had  sent  off  a  whole 
squadron  on  reconnaissances  to  Sarrebourg,  Lix- 
heim, Diemeringen,  Liitzelbourg,  Fenetrange, 
everywhere  in  that  direction.  And  when  they  had 
all  started,  except  twenty  or  thirty  horses  left  be- 
hind, he  got  up  from  the  floor,  and  said  to  me :  '  You 
will  give  me  a  good  bed,  and  you  will  prepare  break- 
fast for  to-morrow  at  seven  o'clock;  all  those  officers 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  141 

will  breakfast  with  me:  they  will  have  good  appe- 
tites. You  have  poultry  and  bacon.  Your  wife  is 
a  good  cook,  I  know;  and  you  have  good  wine.  I 
require  that  everything  shall  be  good.  You  hear 
me!' 

"  I  made  no  answer,  and  I  went  out  to  tell  my 
wife,  who  had  just  dressed  and  was  coming  down- 
stairs. She  had  heard  what  was  said,  and  answered, 
'  Yes,  we  will  obey,  since  the  robbers  have  the  power 
on  their  side.' 

"  That  knave  of  a  colonel  could  hear  perfectly 
well;  but  it  was  no  matter  to  him:  his  business  was 
to  get  what  he  wanted. 

"  My  wife  took  him  upstairs  and  showed  him  his 
bed.  He  looked  underneath  it,  into  all  the  cup- 
boards, the  closet;  then  he  opened  the  two  windows 
in  the  corner  to  see  his  men  below  at  their  posts;  and 
then  he  lay  down. 

"  Until  morning  all  was  quiet. 

"  Then  the  others  came  back.  The  colonel  lis- 
tened to  them;  he  immediately  sent  some  of  the  men 
who  had  stayed  behind  to  Dosenheim,  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Saverne;  and  about  a  couple  of  hours  after 
these  same  hussars  returned  with  the  advanced 
guard  of  the  army  corps.  The  colonel  had  ascer- 
tained that  all  the  mountain  passes  were  abandoned, 
and  that  Lorraine  might  be  entered  without  danger; 
that  MacMahon  and  De  Failly  had  arrived  in  the 
open  plain,  and  that  there  would  be  no  battle  in  our 
neighborhood." 


142  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

This  is  all  that  Cousin  George  told  me,  smoking 
his  pipe. 

They  had  just  thrown  open  the  door  which  opens 
into  the  garden,  to  let  air  into  the  kitchen,  and  we 
looked  from  our  retreat  upon  all  those  Germans  with 
their  helmets,  their  wet  clothes,  their  strings  of  vege- 
tables, and  their  joints  of  meat  under  their  arms. 
As  fast  as  it  was  cooked  Marie  Anne  served  out  the 
broth,  the  meat,  and  the  vegetables  to  those  who 
presented  themselves  with  their  basins;  when  they 
went  out,  others  came.  Never  could  fresher  meat 
be  seen,  and  in  such  quantities:  one  of  their  pieces 
would  have  sufficed  four  or  five  Frenchmen. 

How  sad  to  think  that  our  own  men  had  suffered 
hunger  in  our  own  country,  both  before  and  after 
the  battle!  How  it  makes  the  heart  sink! 

Without  having  said  a  word,  George  and  I  had 
thought  the  same  thing,  for  all  at  once  he  said: 
"  Yes,  those  people  have  managed  matters  better 
than  we  have.  That  meat  is  not  from  this  country, 
since  they  have  not  yet  requisitioned  the  cattle.  It 
has  come  by  rail;  I  saw  that  this  morning  on  the  ar- 
rival of  the  gun-carriages.  They  have  also  received 
for  the  officers  large  puddings,  bullocks'  paunches 
stuffed  with  minced  meats,  and  other  eatables  that  I 
am  not  acquainted  with;  only  their  bread  is  black, 
but  they  seem  to  enjoy  it.  Their  contractors  don't 
come  from  the  clouds,  like  ours;  they  may  not  set 
rows  of  figures  quite  so  straight  even  as  ours; 
but  their  soldiers  get  meat,  bread,  wine,  and  coffee, 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  143 

whilst  ours  are  starving,  as  we  ourselves  have  seen. 
If  they  had  received  half  the  rations  of  these  men, 
the  peasants  of  Niederbronn  would  never  have  com- 
plained of  them:  they  could  still  have  fed  the  un- 
fortunate men  upon  their  retreat." 

About  eleven  at  night  I  returned  to  the  mill  a 
little  calmer.  The  sentinels  knew  me  already. 
His  highness  was  asleep;  so  were  also  his  two 
aides-de-camp  and  the  chaplain:  they  had  taken 
possession  of  our  beds  without  ceremony.  The 
servants  had  gone  to  sleep  in  the  barn  upon  my 
straw;  and  as  for  me,  I  did  not  know  where  to  go. 
Still,  I  was  a  little  more  composed  in  thinking  upon 
what  my  cousin  had  told  me.  If  these  Germans 
received  their  provisions  by  railway,  all  might  be 
well;  I  hoped  we  might  yet  keep  our  cattle,  and  that 
then  these  people  would  proceed  farther.  With 
this  hope  I  lay  on  the  flour-sacks  in  the  mill  and  fell 
fast  asleep. 

But  next  day  I  saw  how  completely  mistaken 
George  was  in  the  matter  of  provisions.  I  am  not 
speaking  only  of  all  that  was  stolen  in  our  village; 
every  moment  people  came  to  me  with  complaints, 
as  if  I  was  responsible  for  everything. 

"  Monsieur  le  Maire,  they  have  taken  the  bacon 
out  of  my  chimney." 

"  Monsieur  le  Maire,  they  have  stolen  the  boots 
from  under  my  bed." 

"  Monsieur  le  Maire,  they  have  given  my  hay  to 
their  horses.  What  must  I  do  to  feed  my  cow  ? " 


144  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

And  so  on. 

The  Prussians  are  the  worst  thieves  in  the  world ; 
they  have  no  shame ;  they  would  take  the  bread  out 
of  your  very  mouth  to  swallow  it. 

These  complaints  made  me  so  angry  that  I  took 
courage  to  speak  to  his  highness,  who  listened  very 
kindly,  and  said  it  was  very  unfortunate,  but  that  I 
should  remember  the  French  proverb,  "  A  la  guerre, 
comme  a  la  guerre;  "  and  that  this  proverb  applied 
to  peasants  as  well  as  to  soldiers. 

I  could  have  borne  all  this  if  the  requisitions  had 
not  begun;  but  now  the  quartermasters  were  mak- 
ing their  appearance,  to  settle  with  me,  as  they  said. 

It  was  of  no  use  to  urge  that  we  were  poor  people, 
already  three-fourths  ruined;  they  answered:  "  Set- 
tle your  own  business.  "We  must  have  so  many  tons 
of  hay;  so  many  bushels  of  oats,  barley,  flour;  so 
much  of  meat,  both  beef  and  mutton,  of  good  qual- 
ity; or  else,  Monsieur  le  Maire,  we  will  burn  down 
your  village." 

His  highness  the  Duke  of  Saxe  and  his  officers 
had  just  gone  to  inspect  the  camp  around  the  place; 
I  was  left  alone.  I  wanted  to  ring  the  church  bells 
to  assemble  the  municipal  council,  but  all  bell-ring- 
ing was  forbidden.  Then  I  sent  round  the  rural 
policeman  to  summon  each  councillor,  one  after  the 
other;  but  the  councillors  did  not  stir:  they  thought 
that  by  remaining  at  home  they  would  prevent  the 
Prussians  from  dqing  anything. 

In  this  extremity  I  made  Martin  Kopp  publish  by 


STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  145 

beat  of  drum  the  list  of  all  that  the  village  had  to 
supply  in  provisions  and  articles  of  every  kind,  be- 
fore eleven  in  the  morning;  entreating  all  honest 
people  to  make  haste,  if  they  did  not  want  to  see 
their  houses  in  flames  from  one  end  of  the  village  to 
the  other. 

Scarcely  had  this  notice  been  given  out,  when 
everybody  made  haste  to  bring  all  they  could. 

The  quartermasters  made  out  an  inventory ;  they 
carried  away  my  best  cow,  and  gave  me  a  receipt  for 
everything  in  the  name  of  his  Majesty  the  King  of 
Prussia. 

The  general  indignation  was  terrible. 

Such  was  the  robbery  and  violence,  in  those  ear- 
lier days,  that  not  so  much  as  a  pound  of  salt  meat 
could  have  been  bought  by  us  in  the  whole  country; 
and  as  for  fresh  meat,  it  was  no  use  thinking  of  it. 
Well,  when  the  Prussians  resorted  to  requisition, 
everything  was  obtained,  by  means  of  that  threat  of 
fire  !  It  was  known  what  they  had  done  in  Alsace, 
and,  of  course,  they  were  supposed  easily  capable  of 
beginning  again. 

After  these  requisitions,  which  might  be  regarded 
as  a  little  bouquet  for  his  highness,  the  Prussians 
raised  their  camp,  announcing  to  us  the  arrival  of 
new-comers.  I  also  heard  M.  le  Baron  d'Engel  com- 
mand one  of  his  orderlies  to  order  at  Sarrebourg  six 
thousand  rations  of  bread  and  of  coffee.  Then  I 
saw  clearly  that  it  was  intended  we  should  feed  all 
these  fellows  till  the  end  of  the  campaign,  and  my 
zo 


146  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

sad  reflections  may  easily  be  imagined.  The  Ger- 
man commissariat  no  longer  seemed  to  me  so  ad- 
mirable. I  could  see  that  it  was  simply  organized 
robbery  and  pillage. 

The  Duke  and  his  followers  had  scarcely  depart- 
ed, when  a  captain  of  blue  hussars,  Monsieur  Col- 
lomb,  came  to  take  his  place,  with  six  horses,  and  his 
adjutant,  the  Count  Bernhardy,  with  three  more 
horses.  They  came  from  Saverne  \vet  through, 
having  spent  the  night  in  the  open  air,  and  this  gave 
them  a  terrible  appetite. 

I  explained  that  everything  had  been  taken  from 
us — that  we  had  nothing  left  to  eat  for  ourselves; 
but  they  would  not  believe  me,  and  my  wife  was 
obliged  to  turn  the  house  topsy-turvy  to  find  some- 
thing for  them  tc  3at. 

While  eating  and  drinking  enough  for  four,  these 
two  gentlemen  found  time  to  tell  us  that  they  had 
hung  eleven  peasants  of  Gunstedt  on  the  day  of  the 
battle  of  Reichshoffen !  They  also  told  us,  what 
was  quite  true,  that  next  day  provisions  would  arrive 
in  our  village.  Unhappily,  this  long  train  of  pro- 
visions, which  seemed  endless,  passed  on  direct  to 
Sarrebourg. 

This  was  the  12th  of  August. 

We  had,  then,  this  captain,  his  adjutant,  their 
servants,  and  their  horses  on  our  shoulders;  all  of 
whom  we  had  to  feed  to  the  full  until  the  day  of 
their  departure. 

The  batteries  of  Phalsbourg  had  dismounted  tho 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  147 

German  guns  at  the  Quatre  Vents.  Sick  and 
wounded  in  great  numbers  had  been  sent  to  the 
great  military  hospital  at  Saverne ;  there  were  a  few 
left  in  the  school-room  of  Pf  alsweyer :  this  annoyed 
the  Prussians.  One  would  have  thought  that  it  was 
our  duty  to  let  them  come  and  rob,  pillage,  and 
bombard  and  burn  us,  without  defending  ourselves; 
that  we  were  guilty  of  crimes  against  them,  and  that 
they  had  rights  over  us,  as  a  nation  of  valets. 

They  actually  thought  this. 

And  I  have  always  heard  these  Germans  making 
such  complaints :  whether  they  took  us  for  fools,  or 
were  fools  themselves,  I  do  not  know  exactly  which; 
but  I  think  there  was  something  of  both. 

After  the  passage  of  a  convoy  of  provisions,  which 
went  past  us  for  two  hours,  came  cannon,  powder- 
wagons,  and  shells.  !N"ever  had  our  poor  village 
heard  such  a  noise ;  it  was  like  a  torrent  roaring  over 
the  rocks. 

The  llth  corps  was  passing.  There  were 
twelve  like  it,  each  from  eighty  to  ninety  thou- 
sand men. 

AVe  now  knew  nothing  whatever  about  our  own 
troops,  nor  our  relations  and  friends  in  tjie  town. 
We  were  shut  up  as  in  an  island,  in  the  midst  of  this 
deluge  of  Prussians,  Bavarians,  "Wurtemburgers, 
Bacleners,  who  streamed  through  in  long,  intermina- 
ble columns,  and  seemed  to  have  no  end. 

It  appears  that  the  requisitions  which  had  been 
made  the  night  before,  and  that  immense  convoy  of 


I48  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

provisions,  were  not  enough  for  their  army,  so  they 
no  longer  cared  to  address  themselves  to  Monsieur  lo 
Maire;  for  the  officers  whom  we  lodged  having  left 
us  early  in  the  morning,  all  at  once,  about  seven 
o'clock,  loud  cries  arose  in  the  village :  the  Prussians 
were  coming  to  carry  off  all  our  remaining  cattle  at 
one  swoop.  But  this  time  they  had  not  taken  their 
measures  so  cleverly;  they  had  not  guarded  the 
backs  of  our  houses,  and  every  one  began  to  drive 
his  beasts  into  the  wood — oxen,  cows,  goats,  all  were 
clambering  up  the  hill,  the  women  and  the  girls,  the 
old  men  and  children  behind. 

Thus  they  caught  scarcely  anything. 

From  that  hour,  in  spite  of  their  threats,  our  cattle 
remained  in  the  woods;  and  it  was  also  known  that 
we  had  francs-tireiirs  traversing  the  country. 
Some  said  that  they  were  Turcos  escaped  from 
"Woerth,  others  that  they  were  French  chasseurs; 
but  the  Prussians  no  longer  ventured  out  of  the 
high-roads  in  small  parties;  and  this  is,  no  doubt, 
the  reason  why  they  did  not  go  to  find  our  cattle 
in  the  Krapenfelz. 

The  next  day,  the  13th  of  August,  the  Prussians 
were  seen  in  motion  in  the  direction  of  Wechem. 
A  Prussian  prince,  advanced  in  years,  with  long 
nose  and  chin,  and  always  on  horseback,  was  at  Met- 
ting;  and  the  rumor  ran  that  the  great  bombardment 
of  Phalsbourg  was  going  to  begin,  and  that  more 
than  sixty  guns  were  in  position  above  the  mill  at 
Wechem :  that  they  were  throwing  up  earthworks  to 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  149 

cover  the  guns,  and  that  it  was  going  to  be  very 
serious. 

That  very  day,  when  I  was  least  expecting  it,  the 
quartermasters  came  back  to  requisition  meat.  But 
I  told  them  that  all  the  beasts  were  in  the  wood, 
through  their  own  fault;  that  they  had  insisted  on 
taking  everything  at  once,  and  now  they  would  get 
nothing. 

On  hearing  these  perfectly  correct  observations 
of  mine,  they  tried  threats.  Then  I  said  to  them: 
u  Take  me — eat  me — I  am.  old  and  lean.  You  will 
not  get  much  out  of  me." 

However,  as  they  threatened  us  with  fire,  I  gave 
public  notice  that  the  Prussians  still  claimed,  in  the 
name  of  the  King  of  Prussia,  ten  hundred-weight  of 
oats  and  of  barley,  three  thousand  of  straw,  and  as 
much  of  hay;  and  that  if  the  whole  was  not  delivered 
in  the  market  square  on  the  stroke  of  twelve,  they 
would  set  fire  to  the  place  without  compassion. 

And  this  time,  too,  it  all  came. 

These  Germans  had  found  out  the  way  to  compel 
people  to  strip  themselves  even  of  their  very  shirts ! 
Fire !  fire !  There  lies  the  true  genius  of  the  Prus- 
sians. No  one  had  imagined  fire — the  power 
of  fire,  like  these  brigands.  God  alone  had  brought 
down  fire  hitherto  upon  His  miserable  creatures  to 
punish  heavy  crimes,  as  at  Sodom  and  Gomorrah; 
they  resorted  to  it  to  rob  and  plunder  us!  It  was 
the  punishment  of  our  folly. 

But  let  us  hope  that  nations  will  not  always  be 


150  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

so  wicked.  God  will  take  pity  upon  us.  I  do  not 
say  the  God  of  the  Jesuits,  ncr  of  the  Prussians,  who 
are  Protestant  Jesuits!  But  He  whom  every  man 
feels  in  his  own  heart;  He  who  draws  from  us  the 
tears  of  pity  and  compassion,  which  we  drop  upon 
our  brothers  unjustly  slain;  He  is  the  God  of  whom 
I  speak,  and  it  is  to  Him  that  I  cry  when  I  say: 
"  Look  upon  our  sufferings !  Have  we  deserved 
them?  are  we  accountable  for  our  ignorance?  If 
so,  then  punish  us !  But  if  others  are  to  blame:  if 
they  have  refused  us  schools;  if  they  have  never 
taught  us  anything  that  we  ought  to  know;  if  they 
have  profited  by  our  credulity  to  impose  upon  us, 
oh!  God,  pardon  us,  and  restore  to  us  our  country, 
our  dear  country,  Alsace  and  Lorraine !  Let  us  not 
be  reduced  to  receiving  blows  like  the  German  sol- 
diers! Degrade  not  our  children,  our  poor  chil- 
dren, to  become  servants  and  beasts  of  burden  to  the 
German  nobles!  My  God!  we  have  been  verily 
guilty  in  believing  our  '  honest  man,'  who  swore  to 
Thee  with  full  intent  to  break  his  oath:  and  his 
Ministers,  who  plunged  into  war  '  with  a  light 
heart!  '  after  having  promised  us  peace,  and  who 
first  secured  their  own  safety  and  well-lined  pock- 
ets! Nevertheless,  we  of  Alsace  and  Lorraine,  the 
most  faithful  children  of  the  Great  Revolution,  have 
not  deserved  that  we  should  become  Germans  and 
Prussians!  Alas!  what  a  calamity!  .  .  ." 

I  have  just  been  weeping!     After  such  a  flood  of 
miseries  and  abominable  acts  my  heart  overflows! 


STORY   OF   THE    PLEBISCITE  151 

Now  I  pursue  my  sad  story;  and  I  will  try  never 
to  forget  that  I  am  relating  a  true  history,  which 
everybody  knows;  which  all  the  world  has  seen. 

That  same  day,  toward  evening,  several  vans  full 
of  Alsacians,  returning  from  Blamont,  passed 
through  our  village  to  return  home.  The  Prus- 
sians had  obliged  them  to  walk;  their  horses  were 
nothing  but  bags  of  bones;  and  the  people,  emaci- 
ated, yellow-looking,  had  been  so  battered  with 
blows,  so  famished  with  hunger,  that  they  staggered 
at  every  step. 

They  had  not  received  so  much  as  a  ration  of 
bread  on  the  whole  journey;  the  Germans  devoured 
everything!  They  would  have  seen  our  poor  fel- 
lows— whom  they  had  compelled  to  bear  the  burden 
of  their  baggage — they  would  have  seen  them  drop 
with  weariness  and  starvation  before  their  eyes, 
without  giving  them  a  drop  of  water!  But  for  our 
unhappy  invaded  Lorraine  brothers,  who  fed  them 
out  of  their  own  poverty,  they  would  have  perished, 
every  one. 

This  is  the  truth!  We  experienced  it  ourselves 
not  long  afterward;  for  the  same  fate  was  reserved 
to  us. 

After  the  passage  of  these  miserable  creatures,  to 
whom  I  gave  a  little  bread — though  we  had  scarcely 
any  left,  since  the  Germans,  only  two  days  before, 
had  robbed  us  of  twenty-seven  loaves  just  fresh  out 
of  the  oven — after  this  melancholy  sight,  we  saw 
corning  with  a  terrible  clatter  and  ringing  of  sabres, 


152  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

one  after  the  other,  three  Prussian  aides-de-camp, 
who  were  announced  to  us ;  the  first  as  a  colonel,  the 
second  a  general,  and  the  third  I  cannot  remember 
what — a  duke,  a  prince,  something  of  that  kind ! 

It  was  the  colonel  whom  I  had  the  honor,  as  they 
called  it,  to  entertain,  Colonel  Waller,  of  the  10th 
regiment  of  Silesian  grenadiers;  and  then  followed 
the  general,  who  did  me  the  honor  to  sup  at  my 
house  at  my  expense.  This  man's  name  was  Macha- 
Cowsky.  They  had  the  pleasure  of  informing  us 
that  that  very  night  Phalsbourg  was  going  to  be 
thoroughly  shelled.  Those  gentlemen  are  full  of 
the  greatest  delicacy;  they  imagined  that  this  good 
news  was  going  to  delight  me,  my  wife,  and  my 
daughter! 

The  flag  of  the  Silesian  grenadiers  was  brought 
into  the  colonel's  apartment.  This  regiment  was 
arriving  from  the  Austrian  frontier;  it  had  waited 
for  the  declaration  of  neutrality  of  the  good  Cath- 
olics down  there,  to  come  by  rail  and  unite  with  the 
twelve  army  corps  which  were  invading  us  with  so 
much  glory. 

I  learned  this  by  overhearing  their  conversation. 

That  was  a  very  bad  night  for  us.  The  officers 
wanted  to  be  waited  on  separately,  one  after  the 
other;  my  poor  wife  was  obliged  to  cook  for  them, 
to  bring  them  plates — in  a  word,  to  be  their  servant; 
and  Gredel,  in  spite  of  her  indignation,  was  helping 
her  mother,  pale  with  passion  and  biting  her  lips  to 
keep  it  down. 


STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  153 

The  general  and  the  colonel  took  their  supper 
at  nine,  the  aide-de-camp  at  ten;  and  so  forth  all  the 
night  through,  without  giving  a  thought  to  the  ex- 
haustion and  trouble  of  the  poor  women. 

They  were  laughing  a  good  deal  over  what  Mon- 
sieur le  Cure  of  Wilsberg  had  said  the  night  before; 
who  had  told  them  that  the  misfortunes  of  Napo- 
leon had  arisen  from  his  withdrawing  his  troops 
from  Koine,  and  that  "  whoever  ate  of  the  Pope 
would  burst  asunder!  " 

They  enjoyed  these  words  and  had  great  fun  over 
them. 

I,  in  my  corner,  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
from  a  fool  you  must  expect  nothing  but  folly. 

At  last  I  dropped  off  to  sleep,  with  my  head  upon 
my  knees;  but  scarcely  had  daylight  appeared  when 
the  house  was  filled  with  the  ringing  of  spurs  and 
steel  scabbards,  and  above  all  rose  the  loud  voice 
of  the  aide-de-camp:  "  Where  are  you,  you  scoun- 
drel! will  you  come,  ass!  fool!  brute!  come  this 
way,  will  you!  " 

This  is  the  way  he  called  his  servant!  This  is 
exactly  the  way  they  treat  their  soldiers,  who  lis- 
ten to  them  gravely,  the  hand  raised  beside  the  ear, 
eyes  looking  right  before  them,  without  uttering 
a  sound!  He  is  lucky,  too,  if  the  speech  finishes 
without  a  smart  box  on  the  ears  or  a  kick  in  the 
rear!  This  is  what  they  hope  to  see  us  coming  to 
some  day;  this  is  what  they  call  "  instructing  us  in 
the  noble  virtues  of  the  Germans." 


154  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

The  colonel  breakfasted  at  about  five  in  the  morn- 
ing; a  company  came  for  the  flag,  and  the  regi- 
ments marched  off.  We  were  rejoicing,  when  about 
seven,  the  bombardment  opened  with  an  awful 
crashing  noise.  Sixty  guns  at  Wechem  were  firing 
at  the  same  time. 

The  town  replied;  but  at  half-past  eight  a  heavy 
cloud  of  smoke  was  already  overhanging  Phals- 
bourg;  the  heavy  guns  of  the  fortress  only  replied 
with  the  more  spirit ;  the  shells  whizzed,  the  bombs 
burst  upon  the  hill-side,  and  the  thunders  of  the 
bastion  of  "VVilsenberg  roared  and  rolled  in  echoing 
claps  to  the  remotest  ends  of  Alsace. 

My  wife  and  Gredel,  seated  opposite  each  other, 
looked  silently  in  each  other's  faces;  I  paced  up 
and  down  with  my  head  bowed,  thinking  of  Jacob, 
and  of  all  those  good  people  who  at  that  moment 
had  before  their  eyes  the  spectacle  of  their  burning 
houses  and  furniture,  the  fruit  of  their  fifty  years 
of  labor. 

At  ten  I  came  out;  the  dense  column  of  smoke 
had  spread  wider  and  wider;  it  extended  toward 
the  hospital  and  the  church;  it  seemed  like  a  vast 
black  flag  which  drooped  low  from  time  to  time  and 
rose  again  to  meet  the  clouds. 

A  squadron  of  cuirassiers,  and  behind  them  an- 
other of  hussars,  dashed  past  up  the  face  of  the  hill; 
but  they  came  down  again  with  lightning  speed  in 
the  direction  of  Metting,  where  the  Prussian  prince 
had  his  head-quarters. 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  155 

The  shells  of  the  sixty  guns  went  on  their  way 
rising  through  the  air  and  falling  into  the  smoke; 
the  bombs  and  the  shells  from  the  town  dropped 
behind  the  Prussian  batteries,  and  exploded  in  the 
fields. 

The  echoes  could  be  heard  from  the  Liitzelbourg, 
thundering  from  one  moment  to  another.  The  old 
castle  down  below  must  have  shaken  and  trembled 
upon  its  rock. 

In  the  midst  of  all  this  terrible  din  the  pillage 
was  beginning  afresh;  bands  of  robbers  were 
breaking  from  their  ranks,  and  whilst  the  officers 
were  admiring  the  burning  town  through  their  field- 
glasses,  they  were  running  from  house  to  house, 
pointing  their  bayonets  at  the  women  and  demand- 
ing eau-de-vie,  butter,  eggs,  cheese,  anything  that 
they  expected  to  find  according  to  the  inspector's 
reports.  If  you  kept  bees,  they  must  have  honey; 
if  you  kept  poultry,  it  must  be  fowls  or  eggs.  And 
these  brigands,  in  bands  of  five  or  six,  rummaged 
and  plundered  everywhere.  They  committed  other 
horrible  deeds,  which  it  is  not  fit  even  to  mention. 

These  are  your  good  old  German  manners! 

And  they  reproach  us  with  our  Turcos;  but  the 
Turcos  are  saints  compared  with  these  filthy  vaga- 
bonds, who  are  still  polluting  our  hospitals. 

Coming  nearer  to  us,  these  robbers  found  a  man 
awaiting  them  firmly  at  his  door;  I  had  grasped  a 
pitchfork,  Gredel  stood  behind  with  an  axe.  Then, 
having,  I  suppose,  no  written  order  to  rob,  and  fear- 


156  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

f  ul  lest  my  neighbors  should  come  to  my  side,  they 
sneaked  away  farther. 

But  about  eleven,  a  lieutenant,  with  a  canteen 
woman,  came  to  order  me  to  give  up  to  him  a  few 
pints  of  wine;  saying  that  he  would  pay  me  every 
sou,  by  and  by.  This  was  a  polite  way  of  robbing; 
for  who  would  be  such  a  fool  as  to  refuse  credit  to  a 
man  who  has  you  by  the  throat.  I  took  them  down 
to  the  cellar,  the  woman  filled  her  two  little  barrels, 
and  then  they  departed. 

About  one  the  colonel  returned  at  the  head  of 
his  regiment,  and  advanced  as  far  as  the  door  with- 
out alighting  from  his  horse,  asking  for  a  glass  of 
wine  and  a  piece  of  bread,  which  my  wife  presented 
him.  He  could  not  stop  another  moment. 

Scarcely  had  he  left  us,  when  again  the  canteen 
woman's  barrels  had  to  be  replenished.  This  time 
it  was  an  ensign,  who  swore  that  the  debt  should  be 
fully  paid  that  very  night.  He  emptied  my  cask, 
and  went  off  with  a  conceited  strut. 

Whilst  all  this  was  going  on,  the  cannon  were 
thundering,  the  smoke  rising  higher  and  thicker. 
The  bombs  from  Phalsbourg  burst  on  the  plateau 
of  Berlingen.  At  half-past  four  half  the  town  was 
blazing;  at  five  the  flames  seemed  spreading  far- 
ther yet;  and  the  church  steeple,  which  was  built 
of  stone,  seemed  still  to  be  standing  erect,  but  as 
hollow  as  a  cage;  the  bells  had  melted,  the  solid 
beams  and  the  roof  fallen  in;  from  a  distance  of 
five  miles  you  could  see  right  through  it.  About 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  157 

ten,  the  people  in  our  village,  standing  before  their 
houses  with  clasped  hands,  suddenly  saw  the  flames 
pierce  to  an  immense  height  through  the  dense 
smoke  into  the  sky. 

The  cannon  ceased  to  roar.  A  flag  of  truce  had 
just  gone  forward  once  more  to  summon  the  place 
to  surrender.  But  our  lads  are  not  of  the  sort  who 
give  themselves  up;  nor  the  people  of  Phalsbourg 
either :  on  the  contrary,  the  more  the  fire  consumed, 
the  less  they  had  to  lose;  and  fortunately,  the  bis- 
cuit and  the  flour  which  had  been  intended  for  Metz, 
since  the  battle  of  Reichshoffen  had  remained  at 
the  storehouses,  so  that  there  were  provisions 
enough  for  a  long  while.  Only  meat  and  salt  were 
failing:  as  if  people  with  any  sense  ought  not  to 
have  a  stock  of  salt  in  every  fortified  town,  kept 
safe  in  cellars,  enough  to  last  ten  years.  Salt  is 
not  expensive ;  it  never  spoils ;  at  the  end  of  a  cen- 
tury it  is  found  as  good  as  at  first.  But  our  com- 
missaries of  stores  are  so  perfect!  A  poor  miller 
could  not  presume  to  offer  this  simple  piece  of  ad- 
vice. Yet  the  want  of  salt  was  the  cause  of  the 
worst  sufferings  of  the  inhabitants  during  the  last 
two  months  of  the  siege. 

The  flag  of  truce  returned  at  night,  and  we 
learned  that  there  was  no  surrender. 

Then  a  few  more  shells  were  fired,  which  killed 
some  of  those  who  had  already  left  the  shelter  of 
the  casemates — some  women,  and  other  poor  creat- 
ures. At  last  the  firing  ceased  on  both  sides.  It 


'58 

was  about  nine.  The  profound  silence  after  all  this 
uproar  seemed  strange.  I  was  standing  at  my  own 
door  looking  round,  when  suddenly,  in  the  dark 
street,  my  cousin  appeared. 

"  Is  anybody  there  ?  " 

"  No." 

And  we  entered  the  room,  where  were  Gredel 
and  my  wife. 

"  Well,"  said  he,  laughing  and  winking,  "  our 
boys  won't  give  in.  The  commanding  officer  is  a 
brave  fellow." 

"  Yes,"  said  my  wife,  "  but  what  has  become  of 
Jacob?" 

"  Pooh !  "  said  George,  "  he  is  perfectly  well. 
I  have  seen  very  different  bombardments  from 
these ;  at  Saint  Jean  d'Ulloa  they  fired  upon  us  with 
shells  of  a  hundred-and-twenty  pounds;  these  are 
only  sixes  and  twelves.  Well,  after  all  when  a  man 
has  seen  his  thirtieth  or  fortieth  year,  it  is  a  good 
deal  to  say.  Don't  be  uneasy;  I  assure  you  that 
your  boy  is  quite  well:  besides,  are  not  the  ramparts 
the  best  place? " 

Then  he  sat  down  and  lighted  his  pipe.  The 
blazing  town  sent  out  such  a  glow  of  light  that 
the  shadows  of  our  casements  were  quivering  on 
the  illumined  bed-curtains. 

"  It  is  burning  fiercely,"  said  my  cousin.  "  How 
hot  they  must  be  down  there!  But  how  unfortu- 
nate that  the  Archeviller  tunnel  should  not  have 
been  blown  up !  and  that  the  orders  of  his  Majesty 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  159 

did  not  arrive  to  apply  the  match  to  the  train  that 
was  ready  laid.  What  a  misfortune  for  Trance  to 
have  such  an  incompetent  man  at  her  head!  The 
town  holds  out;  if  the  tunnel  had  only  been  blown 
up,  the  Germans  would  have  been  obliged  to  take 
the  town!  The  bombardment  makes  no  impres- 
sion; they  would  have  been  obliged  to  proceed  by 
regular  approaches,  by  digging  trenches,  and  then 
make  two  or  three  assaults.  This  would  have  de- 
tained them  a  fortnight,  three  weeks,  or  a  month; 
and  during  this  interval,  the  country  might  have 
taken  breath.  I  know  that  the  Prussians  have  a 
road  by  Forbach  and  Sarre  Union  to  hold  the  rail- 
way at  Nancy;  but  Toul  is  there!  And  then  there 
is  a  wide  difference  between  marching  on  foot  one 
day's  march,  and  then  another  day's  march  with 
guns,  and  ammunition,  and  all  sorts  of  provisions 
dragging  after  you,  convoys  to  be  escorted  and 
watched  for  fear  of  sudden  attacks;  and  holding  a 
perfect  railroad  which  brings  everything  quietly 
under  your  hands!  Yes,  it  is  indeed  a  misfortune 
to  be  ruled  by  an  idiot,  who  has  people  around  him, 
declaring  he  is  an  eagle." 

Thus  spoke  my  cousin;  and  my  wife  informed 
him  that  it  would  please  her  much  better  to  see 
the  Germans  pass  by  than  to  have  to  entertain 
them. 

"  You  speak  just  like  a  woman,"  answered 
George.  "No  doubt  we  are  suffering  losses;  but 
do  you  suppose  that  France  will  not  indemnify  us$ 


ifio  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

Do  you  think  we  shall  always  be  having  idiots  and 
sycophants  for  our  deputies?  If  we  are  not  paid 
for  this,  who,  in  future,  will  think  of  defending  his 
country?  We  should  all  open  our  doors  to  the  ene- 
my :  this  would  be  the  destruction  of  France.  Get 
these  notions  out  of  your  head,  Catherine,  and  be 
sure  that  the  interest  of  the  individual  is  identical 
with  that  of  the  nation.  Ah!  if  that  tunnel  had 
been  blown  up  the  Germans  would  have  been  in  a 
very  different  position !  " 

Thereupon,  my  cousin  fixed  his  eyes  upon  that 
unhappy  town,  which  resembled  a  sea  of  fire;  out 
of  two  hundred  houses,  fifty-two,  besides  the  church, 
were  a  prey  to  the  flames.  No  noise  could  be  heard 
on  account  of  the  distance,  but  sometimes  a  red 
glare  shot  even  to  us,  and  the  moon,  sailing  through 
the  clouds  on  our  left  peacefully  went  on  her  way 
as  she  has  done  since  the  beginning  of  the  world. 
All  the  hateful  passions,  all  the  fearful  crimes  of 
men  never  disturb  the  stars  of  heaven  in  their  silent 
paths!  George,  having  gazed  with  teeth  set  and 
lips  compressed,  left  us  without  another  word. 

We  sat  up  all  that  night.  You  may  be  sure  that 
no  one  slept  in  the  whole  village;  for  every  one 
had  there  a  son,  a  brother,  or  a  friend. 

The  next  day,  the  15th  of  August,  when  the 
morning  mists  had  cleared  away,  the  smoke  was 
rising  still,  but  it  was  not  so  thick.  Then  the  main 
body  of  the  German  army  proceeded  on  their  march 
to  Nancy;  and  the  lieutenant,  who,  the  night  be- 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  161 

fore,  had  promised  to  pay  me  for  my  wine,  bad 
stepped  out  left  foot  foremost,  having  forgotten  to 
say  good-by  to  me.  If  the  rest  of  the  German  of- 
ficers are  at  all  like  that  fellow,  I  would  strongly 
recommend  no  one  ever  to  trust  them  even  with  a 
single  Hard  on  their  mere  word. 

After  the  departure  of  this  second  army,  came 
the  Gth  corps;  the  next  day,  Sunday,  and  the  day 
after  there  passed  cavalry  regiments:  chasseurs, 
lancers,  hussars,  brown,  green,  and  black,  without 
number.  They  all  marched  past  us  down  our  val- 
ley, and  their  faces  were  toward  the  interior  of 
France.  Yet  there  remained  a  force  of  infantry 
and  artillery  around  Phalsbourg,  at  Wechem,  Wils- 
berg,  at  Biechelberg,  the  Quatre  Vents,  the  Bara- 
ques,  etc.  The  rumor  ran  that  they  were  to  be  re- 
inforced with  heavier  artillery,  to  lay  regular  siege 
to  the  place;  but  what  they  had  was  just  sufficient 
to  secure  the  railroad,  the  Archeviller  tunnel,  and 
in  our  direction  the  pass  of  the  Grauf  thai. 

The  provisions,  the  stores,  the  spare  horses,  and 
the  infantry  followed  the  valley  of  Liitzelbourg; 
their  cavalry  were  in  part  following  after  ours. 

Since  that  time  we  have  seen  no  bombardments, 
except  on  a  small  scale.  Sorties  might  easily  have 
been  made  by  the  townspeople,  for  all  right-minded 
people  would  rather  have  given  their  cattle  to  the 
town  than  see  them  requisitioned  by  the  Prussians. 

Yes,  indeed,  it  was  those  requisitions  which  tor- 
mented us  the  most.  Oh,  these  requisitions  1  The 
i: 


162  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

seven  or  eight  thousand  men  who  were  blockading 
the  town  lived  at  our  expense,  and  denied  them- 
selves nothing. 

But  a  little  later,  during  the  blockade  of  Metz, 
we  were  to  experience  worse  miseries  yet. 


CHAPTER 

A  FEW  days  after  the  passage  of  the  last  squad- 
rons of  hussars,  we  learned  that  the  Phalsbourgers 
had  made  a  sortie  to  carry  off  cattle  from  the  Bie- 
chelberg.  That  night  we  might  have  captured  the 
whole  of  the  garrison  of  our  village ;  but  the  officer 
in  command  of  the  party  was  a  poor  creature.  In- 
stead of  approaching  in  silence,  he  had  ordered  guns 
to  be  fired  at  two  hundred  paces  from  the  enemy's 
advanced  posts,  to  frighten  the  Prussians!  But 
they,  in  great  alarm,  had  sprung  out  of  their  beds, 
where  they  lay  fast  asleep,  and  had  all  decamped, 
firing  back  at  our  men;  and  the  peasants  lost  no 
time  in  driving  their  cattle  into  the  woods. 

From  this  you  may  see  what  notions  our  officers 
had  about  war. 

"  The  men  of  1814,"  said  our  old  forester,  Mar- 
tin Kopp,  "  set  to  work  in  a  different  way;  they 
were  sure  to  fetch  back  bullocks,  cows,  and  prison- 
ers into  the  town." 

"When  Cousin  George  was  spoken  to  of  these 
matters,  he  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  made  no 
remark. 

"Worse  than  all,  the  Prussians  made  fun  of  us 
unlucky  villagers  of  Eothalp,  calling  us  "  la  grandc 
163 


164  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

nation!  "  But  was  it  our  fault  if  our  officers,  who 
liad  almost  all  been  brought  up  by  the  Jesuits, 
knew  nothing  of  their  profession  ?  If  our  lads  had 
been  drilled,  if  every  man  had  been  compelled  to 
serve,  as  they  are  in  Germany;  and  if  every  man 
had  been  given  the  post  for  which  he  was  best  fitted, 
according  to  his  acquirements  and  his  spirit,  I  don't 
think  the  Prussians  would  have  got  so  much  fun 
out  of  "  la  grande  nation." 

This  was  the  only  sortie  attempted  during  the 
siege.  The  commander,  Talliant,  who  had  plenty 
of  sense,  was  quite  aware  that  with  officers  of  this 
stamp,  and  soldiers  who  knew  nothing  of  drill,  it 
was  better  to  keep  behind  the  ramparts  and  try  to 
live  without  meat. 

About  the  same  time  the  officer  in  command  of 
the  post  of  the  Landwehr  at  Wechem,  the  greatest 
drunkard  and  the  worst  bully  we  have  ever  seen 
in  our  part  of  the  country,  came  to  pay  me  his  first 
visit,  along  with  fifteen  men  with  fixed  bayonets. 

His  object  was  to  requisition  in  our  village  three 
hundred  loaves  of  bread,  some  hay,  straw,  and  oats 
in  proportion. 

In  the  first  place  he  walked  into  my  mill,  crying, 
"  Hallo !  good-morning,  M.  le  Maire !  " 

Seeing  those  bayonets  at  my  door,  a  fidgety  feel- 
ing came  over  me. 

"  I  am  come  to  bring  you  a  proclamation  from 
his  Majesty  the  King  of  Prussia.  Eead  that !  " 

And  I  read  the  following  proclamation: 


STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  165 

"  We,  William,  King  of  Prussia,  make  known 
to  the  inhabitants  of  the  French  territory  that  the 
Emperor  JS'apoleon  III.,  having  attacked  the  Ger- 
man nation  by  sea  and  by  land,  whose  desire  was 
and  is  to  live  at  peace  with  France,  has  compelled 
us  to  assume  the  command  of  our  armies,  and,  con- 
sequently upon  the  events  of  war,  to  cross  the 
French  frontier;  but  that  I  make  war  upon  sol- 
diers and  not  upon  French  citizens,  who  shall  con- 
tinue to  enjoy  perfect  security,  both  as  regards 
their  persons  and  their  property,  as  long  as  they 
shall  not  themselves  compel  me,  by  hostile  meas- 
ures against  the  German  troops,  to  withdraw  my 
protection  from  them." 

"  You  will  post  up  this  proclamation,"  said  the 
lieutenant  to  me,  "  upon  your  door,  upon  that  of 
the  mayoralty-office,  and  upon  the  church-door. 
.Well !  are  you  glad  ?  " 

"  Of  course,"  said  I. 

"  Then,"  he  replied,  "  we  are  good  friends;  and 
good  friends  must  help  one  another.  Come,  my 
boys,"  he  cried  to  his  soldiers,  with  a  loud  laugh, 
"  come  on — let  us  all  go  in.  Here  you  may  fancy 
yourselves  at  home.  You  will  be  refused  nothing. 
Come  in!" 

And  these  robbers  first  entered  the  mill;  then  they 
passed  on  into  the  kitchen ;  from  the  kitchen  into  the 
house,  and  then  they  went  down  into  the  cellar. 

My  wife  and  Gredel  had  sought  safety  in  flight. 

Then  commenced  a  regular  organized  pillage. 


166  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

They  cleared  out  my  chimney  of  its  last  hams  and 
flitches  of  bacon,  they  broke  in  my  last  barrel  of 
wine;  they  opened  my  wardrobe — scenting  down 
to  the  very  bottom  like  a  pack  of  hounds.  I  saw 
one  of  these  soldiers  lay  hands  even  upon  the  can- 
dle out  of  the  candlestick  and  stuff  it  into  his  boot. 

One  of  my  lambs  having  begun  to  bleat: 

"Hallo!"  cried  the  lieutenant.  "Sheep!  we 
want  mutton." 

And  the  infamous  rascals  went  off  to  the  stable 
to  seize  upon  my  sheep. 

When  there  was  nothing  left  to  rob,  this  gallant 
officer  handed  me  the  list  of  regular  requisitions, 
saying,  "  We  require  these  articles.  You  will  bring 
the  whole  of  them  this  very  evening  to  Wechem, 
or  we  shall  be  obliged  to  repeat  our  visit :  you  com- 
prehend, Monsieur  le  Maire?  And,  especially,  do 
not  forget  the  proclamations,  his  Majesty's  proc- 
lamations; that  is  of  the  first  importance:  it  was 
our  principal  object  in  coming.  Now,  Monsieur  le 
Maire,  au  revoir,  au  revoir!  " 

The  abominable  brute  held  out  his  hand  to  me 
in  its  coarse  leather  glove — I  turned  my  back  upon 
him;  he  pretended  not  to  see  it,  and  marched  off 
in  the  midst  of  his  soldiers,  all  loaded  like  pack- 
horses,  laughing,  munching,  tippling;  for  every 
man  had  filled  his  tin  flask  and  stuffed  his  canvas 
bag  full. 

Farther  on  they  visited  several  of  the  other  prin- 
cipal houses — my  cousin's,  the  cure  Daniel's. 


STORY   OF  THE    PLEBISCITE  167 

They  were  so  loaded  with  plunder  that,  after  their 
last  visit,  they  halted  to  lay  under  requisition  a  horse 
and  cart,  which  seemed  to  them  handier  than  carry- 
ing all  that  they  had  stolen. 

War  is  a  famous  school  for  thieves  and  brig- 
ands; by  the  end  of  twenty  years  mankind  would 
be  a  vast  pack  of  villains. 

Perhaps  this  may  yet  be  our  fate ;  for  I  remem- 
ber that  the  old  school-master  at  Bouxviller  told 
us  that  there  had  been  once  in  ancient  times  pop- 
ulous nations,  richer  than  we  are,  w7ho  might  have 
prospered  for  thousands  of  years  by  means  of  com- 
merce and  industry,  but  who  had  been  so  madly 
bent  upon  their  own  extermination  by  means  of 
war,  that  their  country  became  at  last  sandy  wastes, 
where  not  a  blade  of  grass  grows  now  and  nothing 
is  found  but  scattered  rocks. 

This  is  our  impending  fate;  and  I  fear  I  may 
see  it  before  I  die,  if  such  men  as  Bismarck,  Bon- 
aparte, William,  De  Moltke,  and  all  those  creatures 
of  blood  and  rapine  do  not  swiftly  meet  with  their 
deserved  retribution. 

The  pillaging  lieutenant  that  I  told  you  of  just 
now  was  made  a  captain  at  the  end  of  the  war — 
the  reward  of  his  merit.  I  cannot  just  now  recollect 
his  name;  but  when  I  mention  that  he  used  to 
roam  from  village  to  village,  from  one  public-house 
to  another,  soaking  in,  like  a  sand-bank,  wine,  beer, 
and  ardent  spirits;  that  he  bellowed  out  songs  like 
a  bull-calf;  that  he  used  in  a  maudlin  way  to  prate 


168  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

about  little  birds;  that  he  levied  requisitions  at  ran- 
dom; and  that  he  used  to  return  to  his  quarters 
about  one,  or  two,  or  three  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
so  intoxicated  that  it  was  incredible  that  a  human 
being  in  such  a  state  could  keep  his  seat  on  horse- 
back, and  yet  was  ready  to  begin  again  next  morn- 
ing; yes,  I  need  but  mention  these  circumstances, 
and  everybody  will  recognize  in  a  minute  the  big 
German  brute ! 

The  other  Landwehr  officers,  in  command  at 
Wilsberg,  Quatre  Vents,  Mittelbronn,  and  else- 
where, were  scarcely  better.  After  the  departure 
of  the  princes,  the  dukes,  and  the  barons,  these 
men  looked  upon  themselves  as  the  lords  of  the 
land.  Every  day  we  used  to  hear  of  fresh  crimes 
committed  by  them  upon  poor  defenceless  creat- 
ures. One  day,  at  Mittelbronn,  they  shot  a  poor 
idiot  who  had  been  running  barefoot  in  the  woods 
for  ten  years,  hurting  nobody;  the  next  day,  at 
Wilsberg,  they  stripped  naked  a  poor  boy  who  un- 
fortunately had  come  too  near  their  batteries,  and 
the  officer  himself,  with  his  heavy  boots  kicked  him 
till  the  blood  ran;  and  then,  at  the  Quatre  Vents, 
they  pulled  out  of  the  cellar  two  feeble  old  men, 
and  exposed  them  two  days  and  nights  to  the  rain 
and  the  cold,  threatening  to  kill  them  if  they  did 
but  stir;  they  pillaged  oxen,  sheep,  hay,  straw, 
smashed  furniture,  burst  in  windows,  day  after  day, 
for  the  mere  pleasure  of  killing  and  destroying. 

Sometimes  they  found  amusement  in  threaten- 


THET  DREW  TWO  POOR  OLD  MEN  FROM   TIIEIR  CELLAR. 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  169 

ing  to  make  the  cures  and  the  maires  drive  the 
cattle  which  they  themselves  had  lifted.  And  as 
the  Germans  enjoy  the  reputation  with  us  of  being 
very  learned,  I  feel  bound  to  declare  that  I  have 
never  seen  one,  whether  officer  or  private,  with  a 
book  in  his  hand. 

Cousin  George  said,  with  good  reason,  that  all 
their  learning  bears  upon  their  military  profession: 
the  spy  system,  and  the  study  of  maps  for  officers, 
and  discipline  under  corporal  punishment  for  the 
rest.  The  only  clear  notion  they  have  in  their 
heads  is  that  they  must  obey  their  chiefs  and  calmly 
receive  slaps  in  the  face. 

The  young  men  employed  in  trade  are  great 
travellers.  They  get  information  in  other  coun- 
tries; they  are  sly;  they  never  answer  questions; 
they  are  good  servants,  and  cheap;  but  at  the  first 
signal,  back  they  go  to  get  kicked;  and  they  think 
nothing  of  shooting  their  old  shopmates,  and  those 
whose  bread  they  have  been  eating  for  years. 

In  their  country  some  are  born  to  slap,  others  to 
be  slapped.  They  regard  this  as  a  law  of  nature; 
a  man  is  honorable  or  not  according  as  he  may  be 
the  son  of  a  nobleman  or  a  tradesman,  a  baron  or 
a  workman.  With  them,  the  less  honorable  the 
man  the  better  the  soldier;  he  is  only  expected  to 
obey,  to  black  boots,  and  to  rub  down  the  officer's 
horse  when  he  is  ordered:  a  banker's,  or  a  rich 
citizen's  son  obeys  just  like  any  one  else!  Hence 
there  is  no  doubt  that  their  armies  are  well  disci- 


170  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

plmed  George  said  that  their  superior  officers 
handled  a  hundred  thousand  men  with  greater  ease 
than  ours  could  manage  ten  thousand,  and  that,  for 
that  purpose,  less  talent  was  needed.  No  doubt! 
If  I,  who  am  only  a  miller,  had  by  chance  been 
born  King  of  Prussia,  I  should  lead  them  all  by 
the  bridle,  like  my  horses,  and  better.  I  should 
simply  be  careful,  on  the  eve  of  any  difficult  enter- 
prise, to  consult  two  or  three  clever  fellows  who 
should  clear  up  my  ideas  for  me,  and  engage  in  my 
service  highly  educated  young  men  to  look  after 
affairs.  Then  the  machine  would  act  of  itself,  just 
like  my  mill,  where  the  cogs  work  into  each  other 
without  troubling  me.  The  machinery  does  every- 
thing; genius,  good  sense,  and  good  feeling  are  not 
wanted. 

These  ideas  have  come  into  my  mind,  thinking 
upon  what  I  have  observed  since  the  opening  of 
this  campaign;  and  this  is  why  I  say  we  must  have 
discipline  to  play  this  game  over  again ;  only,  as  the 
French  possess  the  sentiment  of  honor,  they  must 
be  made  to  understand  that  he  who  has  no  disci- 
pline is  wanting  in  honor,  and  betrays  his  country. 
Then,  without  kicking  and  slapping,  we  shall  ob- 
tain discipline;  we  may  handle  vast  masses,  and 
shall  beat  the  Germans,  as  we  have  done  hundreds 
of  times  before. 

These  things  should  be  taught  in  every  school, 
and  the  schools  should  be  numberless;  at  the  very 
head  of  the  catechism  should  be  written:  "  The 


STORY   OF  THE    PLEBISCITE  171 

first  virtue  of  the  citizen  under  arms  is  obedience; 
the  man  who  disobeys  is  a  coward,  a  traitor  to  the 
Republic." 

These  were  my  thoughts;  and  now  I  continue  my 
story. 

After  the  passage  of  the  German  armies,  our 
unhappy  country  was,  as  it  were,  walled  round 
with  a  rampart  of  silence;  for  all  the  men  who 
were  blockading  Phalsbourg,  and  the  few  detach- 
ments which  were  still  passing  with  provisions, 
stores,  flocks  of  sheep,  and  herds  of  oxen  through 
the  valley,  were  under  orders  not  to  speak  to  us, 
but  leave  us  to  the  influence  of  fear.  We  received 
no  more  newspapers,  no  more  letters,  nor  the  least 
fragment  of  intelligence  from  the  interior.  We 
could  hear  the  bombardment  of  Strasbourg  when 
the  wind  blew  from  the  Rhine.  All  was  in  flames 
down  there;  but,  as  no  one  dared  to  come  and  go, 
on  account  of  the  enemy's  posts  placed  at  every 
point,  nothing  was  known.  Melancholy  and  grief 
were  killing  us.  No  one  worked.  What  was  the 
use  of  working,  when  the  bravest,  the  most  indus- 
trious, the  most  thrifty  saw  the  fruit  of  their  labor 
devoured  by  innumerable  brigands?  Men  almost 
regretted  having  done  their  duty  by  their  children, 
in  depriving  themselves  of  necessaries,  to  feed  in 
the  end  such  base  wretches  as  these.  They  would 
say :  "  Is  there  any  justice  left  in  the  world  ?  Are 
not  upright  men,  tender  mothers  of  families,  and 
dutiful  children,  fools?  Would  it  not  be  better  to 


172  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

become  thieves  and  rogues  at  once  ?  Do  not  all  the 
rewards  fall  to  the  brutish?  Are  not  those  hypo- 
crites who  preach  religion  and  mercy?  Our  only 
duty  is  to  become  the  strongest.  "Well,  let  us  be 
the  strongest;  let  us  pass  over  the  bodies  of  our 
fellow-creatures,  who  have  done  us  no  harm;  let  us 
spy,  cheat,  and  pillage :  if  we  are  the  strongest,  we 
shall  be  in  the  right." 

Here  is  the  list  of  the  requisitions,  made  in  the 
poorest  cabins,  for  every  Prussian  who  lodged 
there:  judge  what  must  have  been  our  misery. 

"  For  every  man  lodging  with  you,  you  will  have 
to  furnish  daily  750  grammes  of  bread,  500 
grammes  of  meat,  250  grammes  of  coffee,  60 
grammes  of  tobacco,  or  five  cigars,  a  half  litre  of 
wine,  or  a  litre  of  beer,  or  a  tenth  part  of  a  litre 
of  eau-de-vie.  Besides,  for  every  horse,  twelve 
kilos  of  oats,  five  kilos  of  hay,  and  two  and  a  half 
kilos  of  straw."* 

Every  one  will  say,  "  How  was  it  possible  for  un- 
fortunate peasants  to  supply  all  that?  It  is  im- 
possible." 

Well,  no.  The  Prussians  did  get  it,  in  this  wise : 
They  made  excursions  to  the  very  farthest  farms, 
they  carried  off  everything,  hay,  straw;  elsewhere 
they  carried  off  the  cattle;  elsewhere,  corn;  else- 
where, again,  wine,  eau-de-vie,  beer;  elsewhere 
they  demanded  contributions  in  money.  Every 

*  Bread,  about  2  Ibs. ;  meat,  1-J  Ibs.  ;  coffee,  8  oz. ;  tobacco, 
2  oz. ;  wine,  f  pint;  or  beer,  1$  pints;  oats,  2G  Ibs.,  etc. 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  173 

man  gave  up  what  he  had  to  give,  so  that  by  the  end 
of  the  campaign  there  was  nothing  left. 

Yes,  indeed!  We  were  comfortable  before  this 
war;  we  were  rich  without  knowing  it.  Never  had 
I  supposed  that  we  had  in  our  country  such  quanti- 
ties of  hay,  so  many  head  of  cattle. 

It  is  true  that,  at  the  last,  they  gave  us  bonds; 
but  not  until  three-quarters  and  more  of  our  pro- 
visions had  been  consumed.  And  now  they  make 
a  pretence  of  indemnifying  us;  but  in  thirty  years, 
supposing  there  is  peace — in  thirty  years  our  vil- 
lage will  not  possess  what  it  had  last  year. 

Ah !  vote,  vote  in  plebiscites,  you  poor,  miserable 
peasants !.  Vote  for  bonds  for  hay,  straw,  and  meat, 
milliards  and  provinces  for  the  Prussians!  Our 
honest  man  promises  peace;  he  who  has  broken  his 
oath — trust  in  his  word ! 

Whenever  I  think  on  these  things,  my  hair 
stands  on  end.  And  those  who  voted  against  the 
Plebiscite,  they  have  had  to  pay  just  as  dearly. 
How  bitterly  they  must  feel  our  folly;  and  how 
anxious  they  must  be  to  educate  us! 

Imagine  the  condition  of  my  wife  and  of  my 
daughter  seeing  us  so  denuded!  for  women  cleave 
to  their  savings  much  more  closely  than  men;  and 
then  mother  was  only  thinking  of  Jacob,  and  Gre- 
del  of  her  Jean  Baptiste. 

Cousin  George  knew  this.  He  tried  several 
times  to  get  news  of  the  town.  A  few  Turcos, 
who  had  escaped  from  the  carnage  of  Froeschwiller, 


174  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

had  remained  in  town,  and  every  day  a  few  got 
through  the  postern  to  have  a  shot  at  the  Germans. 
On  the  other  hand,  as  the  attack  on  the  place  had 
been  sudden  and  unforeseen,  there  had  been  no 
time  to  throw  down  the  trees,  the  hedges,  the  cot- 
tages, and  the  tombstones  in  the  cemetery.  So  this 
work  began  afresh :  everything  within  cannon-shot 
was  razed  without  mercy. 

George  tried  to  reach  these  men,  but  the  enemy's 
posts  were  still  too  close.  At  last  he  got  news,  but 
in  a  way  which  can  scarcely  be  told — by  an  aban- 
doned woman,  who  was  allowed  in  the  German 
lines.  This  creditable  person  told  us  that  Jacob  was 
well ;  and,  no  doubt,  she  also  brought  some  kind  of 
good  news  to  Gredel,  who  from  that  moment  was 
another  woman.  The  very  next  day  she  began  to 
talk  to  us  about  her  marriage-portion,  and  insisted 
upon  knowing  where  we  had  hidden  it.  I  told  her 
that  it  was  in  the  wood,  at  the  foot  of  a  tree.  Then 
she  was  in  alarm  lest  the  Prussians  should  have  dis- 
covered it,  for  they  searched  everywhere;  they  had 
exact  inventories  of  what  was  owned  by  every 
householder.  They  had  gone  even  to  the  very  end 
of  our  cellars  to  discover  choice  wines:  for  instance, 
at  Mathis's,  at  the  saw-mills,  and  at  Frantz  Sepel's, 
at  Metting.  Nothing  could  escape  them,  having 
had  for  years  our  own  German  servants  to  give 
them  every  information,  who  privately  kept  an  ac- 
count of  our  cattle,  hay,  corn,  wine,  and  everything 
every  house  could  supply.  These  Germans  are  the 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  175 

most  perfect  spies  in  the  world;  they  come  into 
the  world  to  spy,  as  birds  do  to  thieve:  it  is  part  of 
their  nature.  Let  the  Americans  and  all  the  people 
who  are  kind  enough  to  receive  them  think  of  this. 
Their  imprudence  may  some  day  cost  them  dearly. 
I  am  not  inventing.  I  am  not  saying  a  word  too 
much.  We  are  an  example.  Let  the  world  profit 
by  it. 

So  Gredel  feared  for  our  hoard.  I  told  her  I 
had  been  to  see,  and  that  nothing  in  the  neighbor- 
hood had  been  disturbed. 

But,  after  having  quieted  her,  I  myself  had  a 
great  fright. 

One  Sunday  evening,  about  thirty  Prussians, 
commanded  by  their  famous  lieutenant,  came  to 
the  mill,  striking  the  floor  with  the  butt-ends  of 
their  muskets,  and  shouting  that  they  must  have 
wine  and  eau-de-vie. 

I  gave  them  the  keys  of  the  cellar. 

"  That  is  not  what  I  want,"  said  the  lieutenant. 
"  You  took  sixteen  hundred  livres  at  Saverne  last 
month;  where  are  they?  " 

Then  I  saw  that  I  had  been  denounced.  It  was . 
Placiard,  or  some  of  that  rabble ;  for  denunciations 
were  beginning.  All  who  have  since  declared  for 
ilic,  Germans  were  already  beginning  this  business. 
I  could  not  deny  it,  and  I  said :  "  It  is  true.  As  I 
was  owing  money  at  Phalsbourg,  I  paid  what  I 
owed,  and  I  placed  the  rest  in  safety  under  the  care 
of  lawyer  Fingado." 


176  STORY   OF  THE    PLEBISCITE 

"  Where  is  that  lawyer?  " 

"  In  the  town  guarded  by  the  sixty  big  guns 
that  you  know  of." 

Then  the  lieutenant  paced  up  and  down,  growl- 
ing, "  You  are  an  old  fox.  I  don't  believe  you. 
You  have  hid  your  money  somewhere.  You  shall 
send  in  your  contribution  in  money." 

"  I  will  furnish,  like  others,  my  contribution  for 
six  men  with  what  I  have  got.  Here  are  my  hay, 
my  wheat,  my  straw,  my  flour.  Whatever  is  left 
you  may  have;  when  there  is  nothing  left,  you  may 
seek  elsewhere.  You  may  kill  the  people;  you  may 
burn  towns  and  villages;  but  you  cannot  take 
money  from  those  who  have  none." 

He  stared  at  me,  and  one  of  the  soldiers,  mad  with 
rage,  seized  me  by  the  collar,  roaring,  "  Show  us 
your  hoard,  old  rascal !  " 

Several  others  were  pushing  me  out  of  doors;  my 
wife  came  crying  and  sobbing;  but  Gredel  darted 
in,  armed  with  a  hatchet,  crying  to  these  robbers, 
"  Pack  of  cowards !  You  have  no  courage — you  are 
all  like  Schinderhannes!  " 

She  was  going  to  fall  upon  them;  but  I  bade 
her:  "  Gredel,  go  in  again." 

At  the  same  time  I  threw  open  my  waistcoat,  and 
told  the  brute  who  was  pointing  his  bayonet  at  my 
breast:  "  Now  thrust,  wretch;  let  it  be  over!  " 

It  seems  that  there  was  something  at  that  mo- 
ment in  my  attitude  which  awed  them;  for  the 
lieutenant,  who  did  nothing  but  scour  the  country 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  177 

with  his  band,  exclaimed :  "  Come,  let  us  leave 
monsieur  le  maire  alone.  When  we  have  taken  the 
place,  we  shall  find  his  money  at  the  lawyer's. 
Come,  my  lads,  come  on;  let  us  go  and  look  else- 
where. His  Majesty  wants  crown-pieces:  we  will 
find  them.  Good-by,  Monsieur  le  Maire.  Let  us 
bear  no  malice." 

He  was  laughing;  but  I  was  as  pale  as  death,  and 
went  in  trembling. 

I  fell  ill. 

Many  people  in  the  country  were  suffering  from 
dysentery,  which  we  owe  again  to  these  gormandiz- 
ers, for  they  devoured  everything;  honey,  butter, 
cheese,  green  fruit,  beef,  mutton,  everything  was 
ingulfed  anyhow  down  their  huge  swallows.  At 
Pfalsweyer  they  had  even  swallowed  vinegar  for 
wine.  I  cannot  tell  what  they  ate  at  home,  but  the 
voracity  of  these  people  would  make  you  suppose 
that  at  home  they  knew  no  food  but  potatoes  and 
cold  water. 

In  their  sanitary  regulations  there  was  plenty  of 
room  for  improvement;  health  and  decency  were 
alike  disregarded. 

That  year  the  crows  came  early;  they  swept 
down  to  earth  in  great  clouds.  But  for  this  help, 
a  plague  would  have  fallen  upon  us. 

I  cannot  relate  all  the  other  torments  these  Prus- 
sians inflicted  upon  us;  such  as  compelling  us  to 
cut  down  wood  for  them  in  the  forest,  to  split  it,  to 
pile  it  up  in  front  of  their  advanced  posts;  threat- 
is 


178  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

ening  the  peasants  with  having  to  go  to  the  front 
and  dig  in  the  trenches.  On  account  of  this,  whole 
villages  fled  without  a  minute's  warning,  and  the 
Landwehr  took  the  opportunity  to  pillage  the 
houses  without  resistance.  Worse  than  all,  they 
polluted  and  desecrated  the  churches — to  the  great 
distress  of  all  right-minded  people,  whether  Catho- 
lics, Protestants,  or  Jews.  This  proved  that  these 
fellows  respected  nothing;  that  they  took  a  pleas- 
ure in  humiliating  the  souls  of  men  in  their  tender- 
est  and  holiest  feelings ;  for  even  with  ungodly  men 
a  church,  a  temple,  a  synagogue  are  venerable 
places.  There  our  mothers  carried  us  to  receive  the 
blessing  of  God ;  there  we  called  God  to  witness  our 
love  for  her  with  whom  we  had  chosen  to  travel  to- 
gether the  journey  of  life;  thither  we  bore  father 
and  mother  to  commend  their  souls  to  the  mercy  of 
God  after  they  had  ceased  to  suffer  in  this  world. 

These  wretched  men  dared  do  this;  therefore 
shall  they  be  execrated  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion, and  our  hatred  shall  be  inextinguishable ! 

"Whilst  all  these  miseries  were  overwhelming  us, 
rumors  of  all  sorts  ran  through  the  country.  One 
day  Cousin  George  came  to  tell  us  that  he  had 
heard  from  an  innkeeper  from  Sarrebourg  that  a 
great  battle  had  been  fought  near  Metz;  that  we 
might  have  been  victorious,  but  that  the  Emperor, 
not  knowing  where  to  find  his  proper  place,  got  in 
everybody's  way;  that  he  would  first  fly  to  the 
right,  then  to  the  left,  carrying  with  him  his  escort 


STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 


179 


of  three  or  four  thousand  men,  to  guard  his  person 
and  his  ammunition-wagons;  that  it  had  been  found 
absolutely  necessary  to  declare  his  command  vacant, 
and  to  send  him  to  Verdun  to  get  rid  of  him;  for  he 
durst  not  return  to  Paris,  where  indignation  against 
his  dynasty  broke  out  louder  and  louder. 

"  Now,"  said  my  cousin,  "  Bazaine  is  at  the  head 
of  our  best  army.  It  is  a  sad  thing  to  be  obliged  to 
intrust  the  destinies  of  our  country  to  the  hands  of 
the  man  who  made  himself  too  well  known  in  Mexi- 
co ;  whilst  the  Minister  of  War,  old  De  Montauban, 
has  distinguished  himself  in  China,  and  in  Africa 
in  that  Doineau  affair.  Yes,  these  are  three  men 
worthy  to  lay  their  heads  close  together — the  Em- 
peror, Bazaine,  and  Palikao!  Well,  let  us  hope  on: 
hope  costs  nothing!  " 

Thus  passed  away  the  month  of  August — the 
most  miserable  month  of  August  in  all  our  lives! 

On  the  first  of  September,  about  ten  o'clock  at 
night,  everybody  was  asleep  in  the  village,  when 
the  cannon  of  Phalsbourg  began  to  roar:  it  was  the 
heavy  guns  on  the  bastion  of  Wilschberg,  and 
those  of  the  infantry  barracks.  Our  little  houses 
shook. 

All  rose  from  their  beds  and  got  lights.  At 
every  report  our  windows  rattled.  I  went  out;  a 
crowd  of  other  peasants,  men  and  women,  were 
listening  and  gazing.  The  night  was  dark,  and 
the  red  lightning  flashes  from  the  two  bastions 
lighted  up  the  hills  second  after  second. 


l£o  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

Then  curiosity  carried  me  away.  I  wished  to 
know  what  it  was,  and  in  spite  of  all  my  wife  could 
say,  I  started  with  three  or  four  neighbors  for  Ber- 
lingen.  As  fast  as  we  ascended  amongst  the  bushes, 
the  din  became  louder;  on  reaching  the  brow  of 
this  hill,  we  heard  a  great  stir  all  round  us.  The 
people  of  Berlingen  had  fled  into  the  wood:  two 
shells  had  fallen  in  the  village.  It  was  from  this 
height  that  I  observed  the  effect  of  the  heavy  guns, 
the  bombs  and  shells  rushing  in  the  direction  where 
we  stood,  hissing  and  roaring  just  like  the  noise  of  a 
steam-engine,  and  making  such  dreadful  sounds 
that  one  could  not  help  shrinking. 

At  the  same  time  we  could  hear  a  distant  rolling 
of  carriages  at  full  gallop;  they  were  driving  from 
Quatre  Vents  to  Wilschberg:  no  doubt  it  was  a 
convoy  of  provisions  and  stores,  which  the  Phals- 
bourgers  had  observed  a  long  way  off:  the  moon 
was  clouded;  but  young  people  have  sharp  eyes. 
After  seeing  this,  we  came  down  again,  and  I  rec- 
ognized my  cousin,  who  was  walking  near  me. 

"  Good-evening,  Christian,"  said  he,  "  what  do 
you  think  of  that?  " 

"  I  am  thinking  that  men  have  invented  dread- 
ful engines  to  destroy  each  other." 

"Yes,  but  this  is  nothing  as  yet,  Christian;  it 
is  but  the  small  beginning  of  the  story:  in  a  year 
or  two  peace  will  be  signed  between  the  King  of 
Prussia  and  France;  but  eternal  hatred  has  arisen 
between  the  two  nations — just,  fearful,  unforgiv- 


STORY    OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  181 

ing  hatred.  What  did  we  want  of  the  Germans? 
Did  we  want  any  of  their  provinces?  No,  the  ma- 
jority of  Frenchmen  cared  for  no  such  thing. 
Did  we  covet  their  glory?  No,  we  had  military 
glory  enough,  and  to  spare.  So  that  they  had  no 
inducement  to  treat  us  as  enemies.  Well,  whilst 
we  were  trying,  in  the  presence  of  all  Europe,  the 
experiment  of  universal  suffrage  at  our  own  risk 
and  peril — and  this  step  so  fair,  so  equitable,  but 
still  so  dangerous  with  an  ignorant  people,  had 
placed  a  bad  man  at  the  helm — these  good  Chris- 
tians took  advantage  of  our  weakness  to  strike  the 
blow  they  had  been  fifty-four  years  in  preparing. 
They  have  succeeded!  But  woe  to  us!  woe  to 
them!  This  war  will  cost  more  blood  and  tears 
than  the  Zinzel  could  carry  to  the  Rhine!  " 

Thus  spoke  Cousin  George:  and,  unhappily, 
from  that  day  I  have  had  reason  to  acknowledge 
that  he  was  right.  Those  who  were  far  from  the 
enemy  are  now  close,  and  those  who  are  farther 
off  will  be  forced  to  take  a  part.  Let  the  men  of 
the  south  of  France  remember  that  they  are  French 
as  well  as  we,  and  if  they  don't  want  to  feel  the 
sharp  claw  of  the  Prussian  upon  their  shoulders,  let 
them  rise  in  time:  next  to  Lorraine  comes  Cham- 
pagne; next  to  Alsace  comes  Franche  Comte  and 
Burgundy;  these  are  fertile  lands,  and  the  Ger- 
mans are  fond  of  good  wine.  Clear-sighted  men  had 
long  forewarned  us  that  the  Germans  wanted  Al- 
sace and  Lorraine:  we  could  not  believe  itj  now 


182  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

the  same  men  tell  us,  "  The  Germans  want  the 
whole  of  France!  This  race  of  slappers  and 
slapped  want  to  govern  all  Europe!  Hearken! 
The  day  of  the  Chambords,  upheld  by  the  Jesuits, 
and  of  the  Bouapartes,  supported  by  spies  and  fools, 
has  gone  by  forever!  Let  us  be  united  under  the 
Republic,  or  the  Germans  will  devour  us!  "  I 
think  the  men  who  tender  this  advice  have  a  claim 
to  be  heard. 

The  day  after  the  cannonade  we  learned  that  some 
carts  had  been  upset  and  pillaged  near  Berlingen. 
Then  the  Prussian  major  declared  that  the  com- 
mune was  responsible  for  the  loss,  and  that  it  would 
have  to  pay  up  five  hundred  francs  damages. 

Five  hundred  francs!  Alas!  where  could  they 
be  found  after  this  pillage? 

Happily,  the  Mayor  of  Berlingen  succeeded  in 
making  the  discovery  that  the  sentinels  who  had 
the  charge  of  the  carts  had  themselves  committed 
the  robbery,  to  make  presents  to  the  depraved 
creatures  who  infested  the  camp,  and  the  general 
contributions  went  on  as  before. 

Early  in  September  the  weather  was  fine;  and 
I  shall  always  remember  that  the  oats  dropped  by 
the  German  convoys  began  to  grow  all  along  the 
road  they  had  taken.  No  doubt  there  was  a  simi- 
lar green  track  all  the  way  from  Bavaria  far  into 
the  interior  of  France. 

What  a  loss  for  our  country!  for  it  always  fell 
to  our  share  to  replace  anything  that  was  lost  or 


STORY    OF   THE    PLEBISCITE  183 

stolen.  Of  course  the  Prussians  are  too  honorable 
to  pick  or  steal  anywhere ! 

In  that  comparatively  quiet  time  by  night  we 
could  hear  the  bombardment  of  Strasbourg.  About 
one  in  the  morning,  while  the  village  was  asleep, 
and  all  else  in  the  distance  was  wrapped  in  silence, 
then  those  deep  and  loud  reports  were  heard  one  by 
one.  The  citadel  alone  received  five  shells  and  one 
bomb  per  minute.  Sometimes  the  fire  increased  in 
intensity;  the  din  became  terrible;  the  earth 
seemed  to  be  trembling  far  away  down  there:  it 
sounded  like  the  heavy  strokes  of  the  gravedigger 
at  the  bottom  of  a  grave.' 

And  this  went  on  forty-two  days  and  forty-two 
nights  without  intermission:  the  new  Church,  the 
Library,  and  hundreds  of  houses  were  burned  to 
the  ground;  the  Cathedral  was  riddled  with  shot; 
a  shell  even  carried  away  the  iron  cross  at  its  sum- 
mit. The  unhappy  Strasbourgers  cast  longing  eyes 
westward;  none  came  to  help.  The  men  who  have 
told  me  of  these  things  when  all  was  over  could  not 
refrain  from  tears. 

Of  Metz  we  heard  nothing;  rumors  of  battles, 
combats  in  Lorraine,  ran  through  the  country:  ru- 
mors of  whose  authenticity  we  knew  nothing. 

The  silence  of  the  Germans  was  maintained; 
but  one  evening  they  burst  into  loud  hurrahs  from 
Wechem  to  Biechelberg,  from  Biechelberg  to 
Quatre  Vents.  George  and  his  wife  came  with, 
pale  faces. 


184  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

"  "Well,  you  know  the  despatch  ?  " 

"No;  what  is  it?" 

"  The  honest  man  has  just  surrendered  at  Sedan 
with  eighty  thousand  Frenchmen!  From  the  be- 
ginning of  the  world  the  like  of  it  has  never  been 
seen.  He  has  given  up  his  sword  to  the  King  of  Prus- 
sia— his  famous  sword  of  the  2d  December.  He 
thought  more  of  his  own  safety  and  his  ammunition- 
wagons  than  of  the  honor  of  his  name  and  of  the 
honor  of  France!  Oh,  the  arch-deceiver!  he  has 
deceived  me  even  in  this:  I  did  think  he  was  brave!" 

George  lost  all  command  over  himself. 

"  There,"  said  he,  "  that  was  to  be  the  end  of 
it!  His  own  army  was  those  ten  or  fifteen  thou- 
sand Decemberlings  supplied  by  the  Prefecture  of 
Police,  armed  with  loaded  staves  and  life-preserv- 
ers to  break  the  heads  of  the  defenders  of  the  laws. 
He  thought  himself  able  to  lead  a  French  army  to 
victory,  as  if  they  were  his  gang  of  thieves;  he  has 
let  them  into  a  sort  of  a  sink,  and  there,  in  spite  of 
the  valor  of  our  soldiers,  he  has  delivered  them  up 
to  the  King  of  Prussia:  in  exchange  for  what?  We 
shall  know  by  and  by.  Our  unhappy  sons  refused 
to  surrender:  they  would  have  preferred  to  die 
sword  in  hand,  trying  to  fight  their  way  out;  it  was 
his  Majesty  who,  three  times,  gave  orders  to  hoist 
the  white  flag!  " 

Thus  spoke  my  cousin,  and  we,  more  dead  than 
alive,  could  hear  nothing  but  the  shouts  and  re- 
joicings outside. 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  185 

A  flag  of  truce  had  just  been  despatched  to  the 
town.  The  Landwehr,  who  for  some  time  had  been 
occupying  the  place  of  the  troops  of  the  line  with 
us — men  of  mature  age,  more  devoted  to  peace  than 
to  the  glory  of  King  William — thought  that  all 
was  over;  that  the  King  of  Prussia  would  keep  his 
word;  that  he  would  not  continue  against  the  na- 
tion the  war  begun  against  Bonaparte,  and  that  the 
town  would  be  sure  to  surrender  now. 

But  the  commander,  Taillant,  merely  replied 
that  the  gates  of  Phalsbourg  would  be  opened  when- 
ever he  should  receive  his  Majesty's  written  com- 
mands; that  the  fact  of  Napoleon's  having  given 
up  his  sword  was  no  reason  why  he  should  abandon 
his  post;  and  that  every  man  ought  to  be  on  his 
guard,  in  readiness  for  whatever  might  happen. 

The  flag  of  truce  returned,  and  the  joy  of  the 
Landwehr  was  calmed  down. 

At  this  time  I  saw  something  which  gave  me  in- 
finite pleasure,  and  which  I  still  enjoy  thinking  of. 

I  had  taken  a  short  turn  to  Saverne  by  way  of 
the  Falberg,  behind  the  German  posts,  hoping  to 
learn  news.  Besides,  I  had  some  small  debts  to  get 
in ;  money  was  wanted  every  day,  and  no  one  knew 
where  to  find  it. 

About  five  o'clock  in  the  evening,  I  was  return- 
ing-home;  the  weather  was  fine;  business  had 
prospered,  and  I  was  stepping  into  the  wayside  inn 
at  Tzise  to  take  a  glass  of  wine.  In  the  parlor 
were  seated  a  dozen  Bavarians,  quarrelling  with 


186  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

as  many  Prussians  seated  round  the  deal  tables. 
They  had  laid  their  helmets  on  the  window-seats, 
and  were  enjoying  themselves  away  from  their  of- 
ficers; no  doubt  on  their  return  from  some  maraud- 
ing expedition. 

A  Bavarian  was  exclaiming:  "  We  are  always 
put  in  the  front,  we  are.  The  victory  of  Woerth 
is  ours;  but  for  us  you  would  have  been  beaten. 
And  it  is  we  who  have  just  taken  the  Emperor  and 
all  his  army.  You  other  fellows,  you  do  nothing 
but  wait  in  the  rear  for  the  honor  and  glory,  and  the 
profit,  too!  " 

"  Well,  now,"  answered  the  Prussian,  "  what 
would  you  have  done  but  for  us?  Have  you  got 
a  general  to  show?  Tell  me  your  men.  You  are 
in  the  front  line,  true  enough.  You  bear  your 
broken  bones  with  patience — I  don't  deny  that. 
But  who  commands  you?  The  Prince  Royal  of 
Prussia,  Prince  Frederick  Charles  of  Prussia,  our 
old  General  de  Moltke,  and  his  Majesty  King  Will- 
iam !  Don't  tell  us  of  your  victories.  Victories  be- 
long to  the  chiefs.  Even  if  you  were  every  one 
killed  to  the  last  man,  what  difference  would  that 
make?  Does  an  architect  owe  his  fame  to  his  ma- 
terials? What  have  picks,  and  spades,  and  trowels 
to  do  with  victory  ?  " 

"What!  the  spades!"  cried  a  Bavarian;  "do 
you  call  us  spades?  " 

"  Yes,  we  do!  "  shouted  the  Prussian,  arrogantly 
thumping  the  table. 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  iSj 

Then,  bang,  bang  went  the  pots  and  the  bottles; 
and  I  only  just  had  time  to  escape,  laughing,  and 
thinking:  "  After  all,  these  poor  Bavarians  are 
right — they  get  the  blows,  and  the  others  get  the 
glory.  Bismarck  must  be  sly  to  have  got  them  to 
accept  such  an  arrangement.  It  is  rather  strong. 
And,  then,  what  is  the  use  of  saying  that  the  King 
of  Bavaria  is  led  by  the  Jesuits." 

About  the  8th  or  10th  of  September,  the  report 
ran  that  the  Republic  had  been  proclaimed  at 
Paris;  that  the  Empress,  the  Princess  Mathilde, 
Palikao,  and  all  the  rest  had  fled;  Jiat  a  Govern- 
ment of  National  Defence  had  been  proclaimed; 
that  every  Frenchman  from  twenty  to  forty  years 
of  age  had  been  summoned  to  arms.  But  we  were 
sure  of  nothing,  except  the  bombardment  of  Stras- 
bourg and  the  battles  round  Metz. 

Justice  compels  me  to  say  that  everybody  looked 
upon  the  conduct  of  Bazaine  as  admirable — that 
he  was  looked  upon  as  the  saviour  of  France.  It 
was  thought  that  he  was  bearing  the  weight  of  all 
the  Germans  upon  his  shoulders,  and  that,  finally, 
he  would  break  out,  and  deliver  Toul,  Phalsbourg, 
Bitche,  Strasbourg,  and  crush  all  the  investing 
armies. 

Often  at  that  time  George  said  to  me :  "  It  will 
soon  be  our  turn.  We  shall  all  have  to  march. 
My  plans  are  already  made;  my  rifle  and  cartridge- 
box  are  ready.  You  must  have  the  alarm-bell 
sounded  as  soon  as  we  hear  the  cannon  about  Sarre- 


l88  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

guemines  and  Fenetrange.    "VVe  shall  take  the  Ger- 
mans between  two  fires." 

He  said  this  to  me  in  the  evening,  when  we. 
were  alone,  and  I  am  sure  I  could  have  wished  no 
better;  but  prudence  was  essential:  the  Landwehr 
kept  increasing  in  number  from  day  to  day.  They 
used  to  come  and  sit  in  our  midst  around  the  stove ; 
they  smoked  their  long  porcelain  pipes,  with  their 
heads  down,  in  silence.  As  a  certain  number  under- 
stood French,  without  telling  us  so,  there  was  no 
talking  together  in  their  presence:  every  one  kept 
his  thoughts  to  himself. 

All  these  Landwehr  from  Baden,  "Wurtemberg, 
and  Bavaria,  were  commanded  by  Prussian  officers, 
so  that  Prussia  supplied  the  officers,  and  the  Ger- 
man States  the  soldiers:  by  these  means  they  learn 
obedience  to  their  true  lords  and  masters.  The 
Prussians  were  made  to  command,  the  others  hum- 
bly to  obey:  thus  they  gained  the  victory.  And 
now  it  must  remain  so  for  ages;  for  the  Alsacians 
and  Lorrainers  might  revolt,  France  might  rise,  and 
troubles  might  come  in  all  directions.  Yes,  all 
these  good  Landwehr  will  remain  under  arms  from 
father  to  son;  and  the  more  numerous  their  victo- 
ries, the  higher  the  Prussians  will  climb  upon  their 
backs,  and  keep  them  firmly  down. 

One  thing  annoyed  them  considerable;  this  was 
a  stir  in  the  Vosges,  and  a  talk  of  francs-tireurs,  and 
of  revolted  villages  about  Epinal.  Of  course  this 
stirred  us  up  too.  These  Landwehr  treated  the 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  189 

francs-tireurs  as  brigands  in  ambush  to  shoot  down 
rc-spectable  fathers  of  families,  to  rob  convoys,  and 
threatened  to  hang  them. 

For  all  that,  many  thought — "  If  only  a  few 
came  our  way  with  powder  and  muskets,  we  would 
join  them  and  try  to  get  rid  of  our  troubles  our- 
selves." 

Hope  rose  with  these  francs-tireurs;  but  the  req- 
uisitions harassed  us  all  the  more. 

The  pillage  was  not  quite  so  bad,  but  it  went 
on  still.  When  our  Landwehr,  whom  we  were 
obliged  to  lodge  and  keep,  went  off  to  mount  guard 
at  Phalsbourg,  others  came  in  troops  from  the 
neighboring  villages,  shouting,  storming,  and  bawl- 
ing for  oxen,  sheep,  bacon!  And  when  they  had 
terribly  frightened  the  women,  these  fellows,  after 
all,  were  satisfied  with  a  few  eggs,  a  cheese,  or  a 
rope  of  onions;  and  then  they  would  take  their  de- 
parture quite  delighted. 

Our  own  Landwehr  no  doubt  did  the  same,  for 
they  never  seemed  short  of  vegetables  to  cook ;  and 
these  good  fathers  of  families  conscientiously  di- 
vided it  with  all  the  abominable  creatures  who  fol- 
lowed them  and  had  no  other  way  of  living.  How 
else  could  it  be?  It  takes  time  to  turn  a  man  into 
a  beast,  but  a  few  months  of  war  soon  bring  men 
back  into  the  savage  state. 


ON  the  29tli  of  September,  a  Prussian  vague- 
mestre*  brought  me  some  proclamations  with  orders 
to  make  them  public. 

These  proclamations  declared  that  we  were  now 
part  of  the  department  of  La  Moselle,  and  that  we 
were  under  a  Prussian  prefect,  the  Count  Ilenkel  de 
Bonnermark,  who  was  himself  under  the  orders  of 
the  Governor-General  of  Alsace  and  Lorraine,  the 
Count  Bismarck-Bohlen,  provisionally  residing  at 
Haguenau. 

I  cannot  tell  what  evil  spirit  then  laid  hold  of 
me;  the  Landwehr  had  brought  us  the  day  before 
the  news  of  the  capitulation  of  Strasbourg;  I  had 
been  worried  past  all  endurance  by  all  the  requisi- 
tions which  I  was  ordered  to  call  for,  and  I  boldly 
declared  my  refusal  to  post  that  proclamation:  that 
it  was  against  my  conscience;  that  I  looked  upon 
myself  as  a  Frenchman  still,  and  they  need  not  ex- 
pect an  honest  man  to  perform  such  an  errand  as 
that. 

The  vaguemestre  seemed  astonished  to  hear  me. 
He  was  a  stout  man,  with  thick  brown  mustaches, 
and  prominent  eyes. 

*  The  person  in  command  of  a  wagon  train— also  an  Arm/ 
letter-carrier. 

190 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  191 

'*  Will  you  be  good  enough  to  write  that  down, 
M.  le  Maire?  "  he  said. 

"  Why  not  ?  I  am  tired  out  with  all  these  vexa- 
tious acts.  Let  my  place  be  given  to  your  friend, 
M.  Placiard :  I  should  be  thankful.  Let  him  order 
these  requisitions.  I  look  upon  them  as  mere  rob- 
bery." 

"  Well,  write  that  down,"  said  he.  "  I  obey  or- 
ders: I  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  rest." 

Then,  without  another  thought,  I  opened  my 
desk,  and  wrote  that  Christian  Weber,  Mayor  of 
Rothalp,  considered  it  against  his  conscience  to  pro- 
claim Bismarck-Bohlen  Governor  of  a  French  prov- 
ince, and  that  he  refused  absolutely. 

I  signed  my  name  to  it,  with  the  date,  29th  Sep- 
tember, 1870;  and  it  was  the  greatest  folly  I  ever 
committed  in  my  life :  it  has  cost  me  dear. 

The  vaguemestre  took  the  paper,  put  it  in  his 
pocket,  and  went  away.  Two  or  three  hours  after, 
when  I  had  thought  it  over  a  little,  I  began  to  re- 
pent, and  I  wished  I  could  have  the  paper  back 
again. 

That  evening,  after  supper,  I  went  to  tell  George 
the  whole  affair;  he  was  quite  pleased. 

"  Very  good,  indeed,  Christian,"  said  he.  "  Now 
your  position  is  clear.  I  have  often  felt  sorry  that 
you  should  be  obliged,  for  the  interest  of  the  com- 
mune and  to  avoid  pillage,  to  give  bonds  to  the  Prus- 
sians. People  are  so  absurd!  Seeing  the  signa- 
ture of  the  mayor,  they  make  him,  in  a  way,  respon- 


I92  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

gible  for  everything;  every  one  fancies  he  is  bearing 
more  than  his  share.  Now  you  are  rid  of  your 
burden ;  you  could  not  go  so  far  as  to  requisition  in 
the  name  of  Henkel  de  Bonnermark,  self-styled  pre- 
fect of  La  Moselle;  let  some  one  else  do  that  work; 
they  will  have  no  difficulty  in  finding  as  many  ill- 
conditioned  idiots  as  they  want  for  that  purpose." 

My  cousin's  approbation  gave  me  satisfaction,  and 
I  was  going  home,  when  the  same  vaguemestre,  in 
whose  hands  I  had  placed  my  resignation  in  the 
morning,  entered,  followed  by  three  or  four  Land- 
wehr. 

"  Here  is  something  lor  you,"  said  he,  handing 
ine  a  note,  which  I  read  aloud: 

"  The  persons  called  Christian  "Weber,  miller,  and 
George  Weber,  wine-merchant,  in  the  village  of 
Rothalp,  will,  to-morrow,  drive  to  Droulingen,  four 
thousand  kilos  of  hay  and  ten  thousand  kilos  of 
straw,  without  fail.  By  order — FLOEGEL." 

"  Very  well,"  I  replied.  For  although  this  req- 
uisition appeared  to  me  to  be  rather  heavy,  I  would 
not  betray  my  indignation  before  our  enemies;  they 
would  have  been  too  much  delighted.  "  Very  well, 
I  will  drive  my  hay  and  my  straw  to  Droulingen." 

"  You  will  drive  it  yourself,"  said  the  vaguemes- 
tre, brutally.  "  All  the  horse3  and  carts  in  the  vil- 
lage have  been  put  into  requisition;  you  have  too 
often  forgotten  your  own." 

"  I  can  prove  that  my  horses  and  my  carts  hare 


STORY   OF  THE    PLEBISCITE  193 

been  worked  oftener  than  any  one's,"  I  replied, 
with  rising  wrath.  "  There  are  your  receipts;  I 
hope  you  won't  deny  them !  " 

"Well,  it  doesn't  matter,"  said  he.  "The 
horses,  the  carts,  the  hay  and  straw  are  demanded; 
that  is  plain." 

"  Quite  plain,"  said  Cousin  George.  "  The 
strongest  may  always  command." 

"  Exactly  so,"  said  the  vaguemestre. 

He  went  out  with  his  men,  and  George,  without 
anger,  said,  "  This  is  war!  Let  us  be  calm.  Per- 
haps our  turn  will  come  now  that  the  honest  man  is 
no  longer  in  command  of  our  armies.  In  the  mean- 
time the  best  thing  we  can  do,  if  we  do  not  want  to 
lose  our  Borses  and  our  carts  besides,  will  be  to  load 
to-night,  and  to  start  very  early  in  the  morning. 
We  shall  return  before  seven  o'clock  to  supper;  and 
then  they  won't  be  able  to  take  any  more  of  our  hay 
and  straw,  because  we  shall  have  none  left." 

For  my  part,  I  was  near  bursting  with  rage;  but, 
as  he  set  the  example,  by  stripping  off  his  coat  and 
putting  on  his  blouse,  I  went  to  wake  up  old  Father 
OfFran  to  help  me  to  load. 

My  wife  and  Gredel  were  expecting  me:  for  the 
vaguemestre  and  his  men  had  called  at  the  mill,  be- 
fore coming  to  George's  house,  and  they  were  trem- 
bling with  apprehension.  I  told  them  to  be  calm; 
that  it  was  only  taking  some  hay  and  straw  to  Drou- 
lingen,  where  I  should  get  a  receipt  for  future  pay- 
ment. 

13 


194 


STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 


Whether  they  believed  it  or  not,  they  went  in 
again. 

I  lighted  the  lantern,  Offran  mounted  up  into 
the  loft  and  threw  me  down  the  trusses,  which  I 
caught  upon  a  fork.  About  two  in  the  morning, 
the  two  carts  being  loaded,  I  fed  the  horses  and 
rested  a  few  minutes. 

At  five  o'clock,  George,  outside,  was  already  call- 
ing "  Christian,  I  am  here !  " 

I  got  up,  put  on  my  hat  and  my  blouse,  opened 
the  stable  from  the  inside,  put  the  horses  in,  and  we 
started  in  the  fresh  and  early  morning,  supposing 
we  should  return  at  night. 

In  all  the  villages  that  we  passed  through,  troops 
of  Landwehr  were  sitting  before  their  huts,  ragged, 
with  patched  knees  and  filthy  beards,  like  the  de- 
scription of  the  Cossacks  of  former  days,  smoking 
their  pipes;  and  the  cavalry  and  infantry  were  com- 
ing and  going. 

Those  who  remained  in  garrison  in  the  villages 
were  obliged  by  their  orders  to  give  up  their  good 
walking-boots  to  the  others,  .and  to  wear  their  old 
shoes. 

Mounted  officers,  with  their  low,  flat  caps  pulled 
down  upon  their  noses,  were  skimming  along  the 
paths  by  the  road-side  like  the  wind.  In  the  old 
wayside  inns,  in  the  corners  of  the  yards  the  dung- 
hills were  heaped  up  with  entrails  and  skins  of 
beasts :  hides,  stuffed  with  straw,  were  hanging  also 
from  the  banisters  of  the  old  galleries,  where  we 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  195 

used  to  see  washed  linen  hanging  out  to  dry.  Mis- 
ery, unspeakable  misery,  and  gnawing  anxiety  were 
marked  upon  the  countenances  of  the  people.  The 
Germans  alone  looked  fat  and  sleek  in  their  broken 
boots;  they  had  good  white  bread,  good  red  wine> 
good  meat,  and  smoked  good  tobacco  or  cigars:  they 
were  living  like  fighting-cocks. 

At  a  certain  former  time,  these  people  had  com- 
plained bitterly  of  our  invasion  of  their  country, 
without  remembering  that  they  had  begun  by  in- 
vading ourselves.  And  yet  they  were  right.  At 
the  close  of  the  First  Empire,  the  French  were  only 
fighting  for  one  man;  but  the  Germans  had  since 
had  their  revenge  twice,  in  1814  and  1815,  and  for 
fifty  years  they  had  always  been  coming  to  us  as 
friends,  and  were  received  like  brothers:  we  bore  no 
malice  against  them,  and  they  seemed  to  bear  none 
against  us ;  peace  had  softened  us.  We  only  wished 
for  their  prosperity,  as  well  as  for  our  own ;  for  na- 
tions are  really  happy  only  when  their  neighbors  are 
prospering:  then  business  and  industry  all  move 
hand  in  hand  together.  That  was  our  position! 
"We  said  nothing  more  of  our  victories ;  we  talked  of 
our  defeats,  so  as  to  do  full  justice  to  their  courage 
and  their  patriotism;  we  acknowledged  our  faults; 
they  pretended  to  acknowledge  theirs,  and  talked  of 
fraternity.  We  believed  in  their  uprightness,  in 
their  candor  and  frankness:  we  were  really  fond  of 
them. 

Now  hatred  has  arisen  between  us. 


196  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

Whose  the  fault? 

First,  our  stupidity,  our  ignorance.  We  all  be- 
lieved that  the  Plebiscite  was  for  peace;  the  Minis- 
ters, the  prefets,  the  sous-prefets,  the  magistrates, 
the  commissioners  of  police,  everybody  in  authority 
confirmed  this.  A  villain  has  used  it  to  declare 
war!  But  the  Germans  were  glad  of  the  war;  they 
were  full  of  hatred,  and  malice,  and  envy,  without 
betraying  it :  they  had  long  watched  us  and  studied 
us;  they  endured  everlasting  drill  and  perpetual 
fatigue  to  become  the  strongest,  and  sought  with 
pains  for  an  opportunity  to  get  war  declared  against 
themselves,  and  so  set  themselves  right  in  the  eyes 
of  Europe.  The  Spanish  complication  was  but  a 
trap  laid  by  Bismarck  for  Bonaparte.  The  Ger- 
mans said  to  one  another:  "  We  have  twelve  hun- 
dred thousand  men  under  arms;  we  are  four  to  one. 
Let  us  seize  the  opportunity!  If  the  French  Gov- 
ernment take  it  into  their  heads  to  organize  and  dis- 
cipline the  Garde  Mobile,  all  might  be  lost.  .  .  . 
Quick,  quick!  " 

This  is  the  uprightness,  frankness,  and  fraternity 
of  the  Germans ! 

Our  idiot  fell  into  the  trap.  The  Germans  over- 
whelmed us  with  their  multitudes.  They  are  our 
masters;  they  hold  our  country;  we  are  paying  them 
milliards!  and  now  they  are  coming  back,  just  as  be- 
fore, into  our  towns  and  cities  in  troops,  smiling 
upon  us,  extending  the  right  hand:  "  Ha!  ha!  how 
are  you  now?  Hate  you  been  pretty  well  all  this 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  197 

long  while  ?  What !  don't  you  know  me  ?  You  look 
angry!  Ah!  but  you  really  shouldn't.  Such 
friends,  such  good  old  friends!  Come,  now!  give 
me  a  small  order,  only  a  small  one;  and  don't  let  us 
think  of  that  unhappy  war!  " 

Faugh!  Let  us  look  another  way;  it  is  too  hor- 
rible. 

To  excuse  them,  I  say  (for  one  must  always  seek 
excuses  for  everything)  man  is  not  by  nature  so  de- 
based; there  must  be  causes  to  explain  so  great  a 
want  of  natural  pride;  and  I  say  to  myself — that 
these  are  poor  creatures  trained  to  submission,  and 
that  these  unfortunate  beings  do  as  the  birds  do  that 
the  birdcatcher  holds  captives  in  his  net;  they  sing, 
they  chirp,  to  decoy  others. 

"  Ah!  how  jolly  it  is  here!  how  delightful  here 
in  Old  Germany,  with  an  Emperor,  kings,  princes, 
German  dukes,  grand-dukes,  counts,  and  barons! 
What  an  honor  to  fight  and  die  for  the  German 
Fatherland!  The  German  is  the  foremost  man  ia 
the  world." 

Yes.  Yes.  Poor  devils!  We  know  all  about 
that.  That  is  the  song  your  masters  taught  you  at 
school !  For  the  King  of  Prussia  and  his  nobility 
you  work,  you  spy,  you  have  your  bones  broken  on 
the  battle-field !  They  pay  you  with  hollow  phrasea 
about  the  noble  German,  the  German  Fatherland, 
the  German  sky,  the  German  Rhine;  and  when  you 
sing  false,  with  rough  German  slaps  upon  your  Ger- 
man faces. 


I98  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

No;  no!  it  is  of  no  use;  the  Alsacians  and  the 
Lorrainers  will  never  whistle  like  you:  they  have 
learned  another  tune. 

"Well !  all  this  did  not  save  us  from  being  nipped, 
George  and  me,  and  from  being  made  aware  that 
at  the  least  resistance  they  would  wring  our  necks 
like  chickens.  So  we  put  a  good  face  upon  a  bad 
game,  observing  the  desolation  of  all  this  country, 
where  the  cattle  plague  had  just  broken  out.  At 
Lohre,  at  Ottviller,  in  a  score  of  places,  this  terrible 
disease,  the  most  ruinous  for  the  peasantry,  was  al- 
ready beginning  its  ravages;  and  the  Prussians,  who 
eat  more  than  four  times  the  quantity  of  meat  that 
we  do — when  it  belongs  to  other  people — were 
afraid  of  coming  short. 

Their  veterinary  doctors  knew  but  one  remedy; 
when  a  beast  fell  ill,  refused  its  fodder,  and  became 
low-spirited,  they  slaughtered  it,  and  buried  it  with 
hide  and  horns,  six  feet  under  ground.  This  was 
not  much  cleverer  than  the  bombardment  of  towns 
to  force  them  to  surrender,  or  the  firing  of  villages 
to  compel  people  to  pay  their  requisitions.  But 
then  it  answered  the  purpose ! 

The  Germans  in  this  campaign  have  taught  us 
their  best  inventions!  They  had  thought  them  over 
for  years,  whilst  our  school-masters  and  our  gazettes 
were  telling  us  that  they  were  passing  away  their 
time  in  dreaming  of  philosophy,  and  other  things  of 
so  extraordinary  a  kind  that  the  French  could  not 
understand  the  thing  at  all. 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  199 

About  eleven  we  were  at  Droulingen,  where  was 
a  Silcsian  battalion  ready  to  march  to  Metz.  It 
eeems  that  some  cavalry  were  to  follow  us,  and  that 
the  requisitions  had  exhausted  the  fodder  in  the^ 
country,  for  our  hay  and  straw  were  immediately 
housed  in  a  barn  at  the  end  of  the  village,  and  the 
major  gave  us  a  receipt.  He  was  a  gray-bearded 
Prussian,  and  he  examined  us  with  wrinkled  eyes, 
just  like  an  old  gendarme  who  is  about  to  take  your 
description. 

This  business  concluded,  George  and  I  thought 
we  might  return  at  once;  when,  looking  through  the 
window,  we  saw  them  loading  our  carts  with  the  bag- 
gage of  the  battalion.  Then  I  came  out,  exclaim- 
ing: "Hallo!  those  carts  are  ours!  We  only  came 
to  make  a  delivery  of  hay  and  straw!  " 

The  Silesian  commander,  a  tall,  stiff,  and  uncom- 
promising-looking fellow,  who  was  standing  at  the 
door,  just  turned  his  head,  and,  as  the  soldiers  were 
stopping,  quietly  said :  "Goon!" 

"  But,  captain,"  said  I,  "  here  is  my  receipt  from 
the  major!  " 

"  Nothing  to  me,"  said  he,  walking  into  the  mess- 
room,  where  the  table  was  laid  for  the  officers. 

We  stood  outside  in  a  state  of  indignation,  as  you 
may  believe.  The  soldiers  were  enjoying  the  joke. 
I  was  very  near  giving  them  a  rap  with  my  whip- 
hnndle;  but  a  couple  of  sentinels  marching  up  and 
down  with  arms  shouldered,  would  certainly  have 
passed  their  bayonets  through  me.  I  turned  pale, 


200  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

and  went  into  Finck's  public-house,  where  George 
had  turned  in  before  me.  The  small  parlor  was 
full  of  soldiers,  who  were  eating  and  drinking  as 
none  but  Prussians  can  eat  and  drink;  almost  put- 
ting it  into  their  noses. 

The  sight  and  the  smell  drove  us  out,  and  George, 
standing  at  the  door,  said  to  me:  "  Our  wives  will 
be  anxious;  had  we  not  better  find  somebody  to  tell 
them  what  has  happened  to  us?  " 

But  it  was  no  use  wishing  or  looking;  there  was 
nobody. 

The  officers'  horses  along  the  wall,  their  bridles 
loose,  were  quietly  munching  their  feed,  and  ours, 
which  were  already  tired,  got  nothing. 

"  Hey!  "  said  I  to  the  fcld-weibel,  who  was  over- 
looking the  loading  of  the  carts;  "  I  hope  you  will 
not  think  of  starting  without  giving  a  handful  to 
our  horses?  " 

"  If  you  have  got  any  money,  you  clown,"  said 
he,  grinning,  "  you  can  give  them  hay,  and  even 
oats,  as  much  as  you  like.  There,  look  at  the  sign- 
board before  you: i  Hay  and  oats  sold  here.' ' 

That  moment  I  heaped  up  more  hatred  against 
the  Prussians  than  I  shall  be  able  to  satiate  in  all  my 
life. 

"  Come  on,"  cried  George,  pulling  me  by  the 
arm ;  for  he  saw  my  indignation. 

And  we  went  into  the  "  Bay  Horse,"  which  was 
as  full  of  people  as  the  other,  but  larger  and  higher. 
We  fed  our  horses;  then,  sitting  alone  in  a  corner 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  201 

we  ate  a  crust  of  bread  and  took  a  glass  of  wine, 
watching  the  movements  of  the  troops  outside.  I 
went  out  to  give  my  horses  a  couple  of  buckets  of 
water,  for  I  knew  that  the  Germans  would  never 
take  that  trouble. 

George  called  to  him  the  little  pedler  Friedel,  who 
was  passing  by  with  his  pack,  to  tell  him  to  inform 
our  wives  that  we  should  not  be  home  till  to-morrow 
morning,  being  obliged  to  go  on  to  Sarreguemines. 
Friedel  promised,  and  went  on  his  way. 

Almost  immediately,  the  word  of  command  and 
the  rattle  of  arms  warned  us  that  the  battalion  was 
about  to  march.  We  only  had  the  time  to  pay  and 
to  lay  hold  of  the  horses'  bridles. 

It  was  pleasant  weather  for  walking — neither 
too  much  sun  nor  too  much  shade;  fine  autumn 
weather. 

And  since,  in  comparing  the  Germans  with  our 
own  soldiers  as  to  their  marching  powers,  I  have 
often  thought  that  they  never  would  have  reached 
Paris  but  for  our  railroads.  Their  infantry  are  just 
as  conspicuous  for  their  slowness  and  their  heavi- 
ness as  their  cavalry  are  for  their  swiftness  and 
activity.  These  people  are  splay-footed,  and  they 
cannot  keep  up  long.  When  they  are  running, 
their  clumsy  boots  make  a  terrible  clatter;  which  is 
perhaps  the  reason  why  they  wear  them:  they  en- 
courage each  other  by  this  means,  and  imagine  they 
dismay  the  enemy.  A  single  company  of  theirs 
makes  more  noise  than  one  of  our  regiments.  But 


202  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

they  soon  break  out  in  a  perspiration,  and  their 
great  delight  is  to  get  up  and  have  a  ride. 

Toward  evening,  by  five  o'clock,  we  had  only 
gone  about  three  leagues  from  Droulingen,  when, 
instead  of  continuing  on  their  way,  the  commander 
gave  the  battalion  orders  to  turn  out  of  it  into  a  par- 
ish road  on  the  left.  Whether  it  was  to  avoid  the 
lodgings  by  the  way,  which  were  all  exhausted,  or 
for  some  other  reason,  I  cannot  say. 

Seeing  this,  I  ran  to  the  commanding  officer  in 
the  greatest  distress. 

"  But  in  the  name  of  heaven,  captain,"  said  I, 
"  are  you  not  going  on  to  Sarreguemines?  We  are 
fathers  of  families;  we  have  wives  and  children  ! 
You  promised  that  at  Sarreguemines  we  might  un- 
load and  return  home." 

George  was  coming,  too,  to  complain ;  but  he  had 
not  yet  reached  us,  when  the  commander,  from  on 
horseback,  roared  at  us  with  a  voice  of  rage :  "  Will 
you  return  to  your  carts,  or  I  will  have  you  beaten 
till  all  is  blue?  Will  you  make  haste  back?  " 

Then  we  returned  to  take  hold  of  our  bridles,  with 
our  heads  hanging  down.  Three  hours  after,  at 
nightfall,  we  came  into  a  miserable  village,  full  of 
small  crosses  along  the  road,  and  where  the  people 
had  nothing  to  give  us;  for  famine  had  overtaken 
them. 

We  had  scarcely  halted,  when  a  convoy  of  bread, 
meat,  and  wine  arrived,  escorted  by  a  few  hussars. 
No  doubt  it  came  from  Alberstoff.  Every  soldier 


WB  CAME  INTO  A  MISERABLE  VILLAGE,   FULL    OF    SMALL  CROSSES  ALONG 
Till-  ROAD. 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  203 

received  his  ration,  but  we  got  not  so  much  as  an 
onion:  not  a  crust  of  bread — nothing — nor  our 
horses  either. 

That  night  George  and  I  alone  rested  under  the 
shelter  of  a  deserted  smithy,  while  the  Prussians 
were  asleep  in  every  hut  and  in  the  barns,  and  the 
sentinels  paced  their  rounds  about  our  carts,  with 
their  muskets  shouldered;  we  began  to  deliberate 
what  we  ought  to  do. 

George,  who  already  foreboded  the  miseries 
which  were  awaiting  us,  would  have  started  that 
moment,  leaving  both  horses  and  carts;  but  I  could 
not  entertain  such  an  idea  as  that.  Give  up  my 
pair  of  beautiful  dappled  gray  horses,  which  I  had 
bred  and  reared  in  my  own  orchard  at  the  back  of 
the  mill !  It  was  impossible. 

"  Listen  to  me,"  said  George.  "  Remember  the 
Alsacians  who  have  been  passing  by  us  the  last  fort- 
night: they  look  as  if  they  had  come  out  of  their 
graves;  they  had  never  received  the  smallest  ration: 
they  would  have  been  carried  even  to  Paris  if  they 
had  not  run  away.  You  see  that  these  Germans 
have  no  bowels.  They  are  possessed  with  a  bitter 
hatred  against  the  French,  which  makes  them  as 
hard  as  iron;  they  have  been  incited  against  us  at 
their  schools;  they  would  like  to  exterminate  us  to 
the  last  man.  Let  us  expect  nothing  of  them ;  that 
will  be  the  safest.  I  have  only  six  francs  in  my 
pocket;  what  have  you?  " 

"  Eight  livres  and  ten  sous." 


204  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

"  With  that,  Christian,  we  cannot  go  far.  The 
nearer  we  get  to  Metz,  the  worse  ruin  we  shall  find 
the  country  in.  If  we  were  but  able  to  write  home, 
and  ask  for  a  little  money!  but  you  see  they  have 
sentinels  on  every  road,  at  all  the  lane  ends:  they 
allow  neither  foot-passengers,  nor  letters,  nor  news 
to  pass.  Believe  me,  let  us  try  to  escape." 

All  these  good  arguments  were  useless.  I 
thought  that,  with  a  little  patience,  perhaps  at  the 
next  village,  other  horses  and  other  carriages  might 
be  found  to  requisition,  and  that  we  might  be  al- 
lowed quietly  to  return  home.  That  would  have 
been  natural  and  proper;  and  so  in  any  country  in 
the  world  they  would  have  done. 

George,  seeing  that  he  was  unable  to  shake  my 
resolution,  lay  down  upon  a  bench  and  went  to  sleep. 
I  could  not  shut  my  eyes. 

Next  day,  at  six  o'clock,  we  had  to  resume  the 
march ;  the  Silesians  well-refreshed,  we  with  empty 
stomachs. 

We  were  moving  in  the  direction  of  Gros  Ten- 
quin.  The  farther  we  advanced,  the  less  I  knew  of 
the  country.  It  was  the  country  around  Metz,  le 
pays  Messin,  an  old  French  district,  and  our  misery 
increased  at  every  stage.  The  Prussians  continued 
to  receive  whatever  they  required,  and  took  no  fur- 
ther trouble  with  us  than  merely  preventing  us  from 
leaving  their  company:  they  treated  us  like  beasts 
of  burden;  and,  in  spite  of  all  our  economy,  our 
money  was  wasting  away. 


STORY    OF   THE    PLEBISCITE 


205 


Never  was  so  sad  a  position  as  ours;  for,  on  the 
fourth  or  fifth  day,  the  officer,  guessing  from  our 
appearance  that  we  were  meditating  flight,  quite  un- 
ceremoniously said  in  our  presence  to  the  sentinels : 
"  If  those  people  stir  out  of  the  road,  fire  upon 
them." 

We  met  many  others  in  a  similar  position  to  ours, 
in  the  midst  of  these  squadrons  and  these  regiments, 
which  were  continually  crossing  each  other  and  were 
covering  the  roads.  At  the  sight  of  each  other,  we 
felt  as  if  we  could  burst  into  tears. 

George  always  kept  up  his  spirits,  and  even  from 
time  to  time  he  assumed  an  air  of  gayety,  asking  a 
light  of  the  soldiers  to  light  his  pipe,  and  singing 
sea-songs,  which  made  the  Prussian  officers  laugh. 
They  said:  "  This  fellow  is  a  real  Frenchman:  he 
sees  things  in  a  bright  light." 

I  could  not  understand  that  at  all :  no,  indeed !  I 
said  to  myself  that  my  cousin  was  losing  his  senses. 

"What  grieved  me  still  more  was  to  see  my  fine 
horses  perishing — my  poor  horses,  so  sleek,  so  spir- 
ited, so  steady;  the  best  horses  in  the  commune,  and 
which  I  had  reared  with  so  much  satisfaction.  Oh, 
bow  deplorable!  .  .  .  Passing  along  the  hedges, 
by  the  roadside,  I  pulled  here  and  there  handfuls  of 
grass,  to  give  them  a  taste  of  something  green,  and 
in  a  moment  they  would  stare  at  it,  toss  up  their 
heads,  and  devour  this  poor  stuff.  The  poor  brutes 
could  be  seen  wasting  away,  and  this  pained  me 
more  than  anything. 


206  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

Then  the  thoughts  of  my  wife  and  Gredel,  and 
their  uneasiness,  what  they  were  doing,  what  was 
becoming  of  the  mill  and  our  village — what  the  peo- 
ple would  say  when  they  knew  that  their  mayor  was 
gone,  and  then  the  town,  and  Jacob — everything 
overwhelmed  me,  and  made  my  heart  sink  within 
me. 

But  the  worst  of  all,  and  what  I  shall  never  for- 
get, was  in  the  neighborhood  of  Metz. 

For  a  fortnight  or  three  weeks  there  had  been  no 
more  fighting;  the  city  and  Bazaine's  army  were 
surrounded  by  huge  earthworks,  which  the  Prus- 
sians  had  armed  with  guns.  We  could  see  that  afar 
off,  following  the  road  on  our  right.  We  could  see 
many  places,  too,  where  the  soil  had  been  recently 
turned  over;  and  George  said  they  were  pits,  in 
which  hundreds  of  dead  lay  buried.  A  few  burnt 
and  bombarded  villages,  farms,  and  castles  in  ruins, 
were  also  seen  in  the  neighborhood.  There  was  no 
more  fighting ;  but  there  was  a  talk  of  f rancs-tireurs, 
and  the  Silesians  looked  uncomfortable. 

At  last,  on  the  tenth  day  since  our  departure,  af- 
ter having  crossed  and  recrossed  the  country  in  all 
directions,  we  arrived  about  three  o'clock  at  a  large 
village  on  the  Moselle,  when  the  battalion  came  to  a 
halt.  Several  detachments  from  our  battalion  had 
filled  up  the  gaps  in  other  battalions,  so  that  there 
remained  with  us  only  the  third  part  of  the  men  who 
had  come  from  Droulingen. 

After  the  distribution  of  provender,  seeing  that 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  207 

the  officers'  horses  had  been  fed,  and  that  they  were 
putting  their  bridles  on,  I  just  went  and  picked  up  a 
few  handfuls  of  hay  and  straw  which  were  lying  on 
the  ground,  to  give  to  mine.  I  had  collected  a  small 
bundle,  when  a  corporal  on  guard  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, having  noticed  what  I  was  doing,  came  and 
seized  me  by  the  whiskers,  shaking  me,  and  striking 
me  on  the  face. 

"  Ah !  you  greedy  old  miser !  Is  that  the  way 
you  feed  your  beasts?  " 

I  was  beside  myself  with  rage,  and  had  already 
lifted  my  whip-handle  to  send  the  rascal  sprawling 
on  the  earth,  when  Cousin  George  precipitated  him- 
self between  us,  crying:  "Christian!  what  are  you 
dreaming  of? " 

He  wrested  the  whip  from  me,  and  whilst  I  was 
quivering  in  every  limb,  he  began  to  excuse  me  to 
the  dirty  Prussian ;  saying  that  I  had  acted  hastily, 
that  I  had  thought  the  hay  was  to  be  left,  that  it 
ought  to  be  considered  that  our  horses  too  followed 
the  battalion,  etc. 

The  fellow  listened,  drawn  up  like  a  gendarme, 
and  said :  "  Well,  then,  I  will  pass  it  over  this  time ; 
but  if  he  begins  his  tricks  again,  it  will  be  quite  an- 
other thing." 

Then  I  went  into  the  stable  and  stretched  myself 
in  the  empty  rack,  my  hat  drawn  over  my  face,  with- 
out stirring  for  a  couple  of  hours. 

The  battalion  was  going  to  march  again.  George 
was  looking  for  me  everywhere.  At  last  he  found 


208  STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

me.  I  rose,  came  out,  and  the  sight  of  all  these 
soldiers  dressed  in  line,  with  their  rifles  and  their 
helmets,  made  my  blood  run  cold:  I  wished  for 
death. 

George  spoke  not  a  word,  and  we  moved  forward ; 
but  from  that  moment  I  had  resolved  upon  flight,  at 
any  price,  abandoning  everything. 

The  same  evening,  an  extraordinary  event  hap- 
pened; we  received  a  little  straw!  We  lay  in  the 
open  air,  under  our  carts,  because  the  village  at 
which  we  had  just  arrived  was  full  of  troops.  I  had 
only  twelve  sous  left,  and  George  but  twenty  or 
thirty.  He  went  to  buy  a  little  bread  and  eau-de- 
vie  in  a  public-house ;  we  dipped  our  bread  in  it,  and 
in  this  way  we  were  just  able  to  sustain  life. 

Every  time  the  corporal  passed,  who  had  laid  his 
hand  upon  me,  my  knife  moved  of  its  own  accord  in 
my  pocket,  and  I  said  to  myself:  "  Shall  an  Alsa- 
cian,  an  old  Alsacian,  endure  this  affront  without  re- 
venge ?  Shall  it  be  said  that  Alsacians  allow  them* 
selves  to  be  knocked  about  by  such  spawn  as  these 
fellows,  whom  we  have  thrashed  a  hundred  times  in 
days  gone  by,  and  who  used  to  run  away  from  us 
like  hares? " 

George,  who  could  see  by  my  countenance  what 
I  was  thinking  of,  said :  "  Christian !  Listen  to  me. 
Don't  get  angry.  Set  down  these  blows  to  the  ac- 
count of  the  Plebiscite,  like  the  bonds  for  bread, 
flour,  hay,  meat,  and  the  rest.  It  was  you  who  vot- 
ed all  that:  the  Germans  are  not  the  causes!  They 


STORY    OF   THE    PLEBISCITE  209 

are  brute  beasts,  so  used  to  have  their  faces  slapped, 
that  they  catch  every  opportunity  to  give  others  the 
like,  when  there  is  no  danger,  and  when  they  are  ten 
to  one.  These  slaps  don't  produce  the  same  effect 
on  them  as  on  us;  they  are  felt  only  on  the  surface, 
no  farther!  So  comfort  yourself;  this  monstrous 
beast  never  thought  he  was  inflicting  any  disgrace 
upon  you :  he  took  you  for  one  of  his  own  sort." 

But,  instead  of  pacifying  me,  George  only  made 
me  the  more  indignant;  especially  when  he  told  me 
that  the  Germans,  talking  together,  had  told  how 
Queen  Augusta  of  Prussia  had  just  sent  her  own 
cook  to  the  Emperor  Napoleon  to  cook  nice  little 
dishes  for  him,  and  her  own  band  to  play  agreeable 
music  under  his  balcony ! 

I  had  had  enough !  I  lay  under  our  cart,  and  all 
that  night  I  had  none  but  bad  dreams. 

We  had  always  hoped  that,  on  coming  near  a  rail- 
way, the  remains  of  the  battalion  would  get  in,  and 
that  we  should  be  sent  home;  unhappily  our  men 
were  intended  to  fill  up  gaps  in  other  battalions: 
companies  were  detached  right  and  left,  but  there 
were  always  enough  left  to  want  our  conveyances, 
and  to  prevent  us  from  setting  off  home. 

We  had  not  had  clean  shirts  for  a  fortnight;  we 
had  not  once  taken  off  our  shoes,  knowing  that  we 
should  have  too  much  difficulty  in  getting  them  on 
again;  we  had  been  wetted  through  with  rain  and 
dried  by  the  sun  five  and  twenty  times;  we  had  suf- 
fered all  the  misery  and  wretchedness  of  hupger, 

14 


2io  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

we  were  reduced  to  scarecrows  by  weariness  and 
suffering;  but  neither  cousin  nor  I  suffered  from 
dysentery  like  those  Germans;  the  poorest  nour- 
ishment still  sustained  us;  but  the  bacon,  the  fresh 
meat,  the  fruits,  the  raw  vegetables,  devoured  by 
these  creatures  without  the  least  discretion,  worked 
upon  them  dreadfully:  no  experience  could  teach 
them  wisdom ;  their  natural  voracity  made  them  de- 
void of  all  prudence. 

As  a  climax  to  our  miseries,  the  officers  of  our  bat- 
talion were  talking  of  marching  on  Paris. 

The  Prussians  knew  a  month  beforehand  that 
Bazaine  would  never  come  out  of  his  camp,  and  that 
he  would  finally  surrender  after  he  had  consumed 
all  the  provisions  in  Metz ;  they  said  this  openly,  and 
looked  upon  Marshal  Bazaine  as  our  best  general: 
they  praised  and  exalted  him  for  his  splendid  cam- 
paign. The  only  fault  they  could  find  was,  that  he 
had  not  shut  himself  up  sooner;  because  then  things 
would  have  been  settled  much  earlier.  They  com- 
plained, too,  of  our  Emperor,  and  affirmed  that  the 
best  thing  we  could  do  would  be  to  set  him  on  his 
throne  again. 

George  and  I  heard  these  things  repeated  a  hun- 
dred times  at  the  inns  and  public-houses  where  we 
halted.  The  French  innkeepers  made  us  sit  behind 
the  stove,  and  for  pity,  passed  us  sometimes  the  leav- 
ings of  the  soup;  but  for  this,  we  should  have  per- 
ished of  hunger.  They  asked  us  in  whispers  what 
the  Germans  were  saying,  and  when  we  repeated 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  211 

their  sayings,  the  poor  people  said  to  us :  "  Really, 
bow  fond  the  Prussians  are  of  us!  Certainly  they 
do  owe  some  comfort  to  the  men  who  have  surren- 
dered !  Every  brave  deed  deserves  to  be  rewarded." 

One  of  the  Lorraine  innkeepers  said  this  to  us; 
he  was  also  the  first  to  tell  us  that  Gambetta,  having 
escaped  from  Paris  in  a  balloon,  was  now  at  Tours 
with  Glais-Bizoin  and  several  others,  to  raise  a  pow- 
erful army  behind  the  Loire.  In  these  parts  they 
got  the  Belgian  papers,  and  whenever  we  heard  a 
bit  of  good  news  it  screwed  up  our  courage  a  little. 

Quantities  of  provisions  and  stores  were  passing: 
immense  flocks  of  sheep  and  herds  of  oxen,  cases  of 
sausages,  barrels  of  bread,  wine,  and  flour;  some- 
times regiments  also.  The  trains  for  the  East  were 
carrying  wounded  in  heaps,  stretched  one  over  an- 
other in  the  carriages  upon  mattresses,  their  pale 
faces  seeking  fresh  air  and  coolness  at  all  the  win- 
dows. German  doctors  with  the  red  cross  upon 
their  arms  were  accompanying  them,  and  in  every 
village  there  were  ambulances. 

The  heavy  rains  and  the  first  frosts  had  come.  A 
thousand  rumors  were  afloat  of  great  battles  under 
the  walls  of  Paris.  The  Prussians  were  especially 
wroth  with  Gambetta:  "  that  Gambetta !  the  ban- 
dit! "  as  they  called  him,  who  was  preventing  them 
from  having  peace  and  bringing  back  Napoleon. 
Never  have  I  seen  men  so  enraged  with  an  enemy 
because  he  would  not  surrender.  The  officers  and 
soldiers  talked  of  nothing  else. 


212  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

"  That  Gambetta,"  said  they,  "  is  the  cause  of  all 
our  trouble.  His  francs-tireurs  deserve  to  be  strung 
up.  But  for  him,  peace  would  be  made.  We 
should  already  have  got  Alsace  and  Lorraine;  and 
the  Emperor  Napoleon,  at  the  head  of  the  army  of 
Metz,  would  have  been  on  his  way  to  restore  order 
at  Paris." 

At  every  convoy  of  wounded  their  indignation, 
mounted  higher.  They  thought  it  perfectly  natural 
and  proper  that  they  should  set  fire  to  us,  devastate 
our  country,  plunder  and  shoot  us;  but  for  us  to  de- 
fend ourselves,  was  infamous! 

Is  it  possible  to  imagine  a  baser  hypocrisy?  For 
they  did  not  think  \vhat  they  were  saying;  they 
wanted  to  make  us  believe  that  our  cause  was  a  bad 
one;  yet  how  could  there  be  a  holier  and  a  more 
glorious  one  ? 

Of  course  every  Frenchman,  from  the  oldest  to 
the  youngest — and  principally  the  women — prayed 
for  Gambetta's  success,  and  more  than  once  tears 
of  emotion  dropped  at  the  thought  that,  perhaps,  he 
might  save  us.  Crowds  of  young  men  left  the  coun- 
try to  join  him,  and  then  the  Prussians  burdened 
their  parents  with  a  war  contribution  of  fifty  francs 
a  day.  They  were  ruining  them;  and  yet  this  did 
not  prevent  others  from  following  in  numerous 
bands. 

The  Prussians  threatened  with  the  galleys  who- 
soever should  connive  at  the  flight,  as  they  called  it, 
of  these  volunteers,  whether  by  giving  them  money, 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 


213 


or  supplying  them  with  guides,  or  by  any  other 
means.  Violence,  cruelty,  falsehood — all  sorts  of 
means  seemed  good  to  the  Germans  to  reduce  us  to 
submission;  but  arms  were  the  least  resorted  to  of 
all  these  means,  because  they  did  not  wish  to  lose 
men,  and  in  lighting  they  might  have  done  so. 

We  had  stopped  three  days  at  the  village  of  Ja- 
metz,  in  the  direction  of  Montmedy.  It  was  in  the 
latter  part  of  October;  the  rain  was  pouring;  George 
and  I  had  been  received  by  an  old  Lorraine  woman, 
tall  and  spare,  Mother  Marie-Jeanne,  whose  son  was 
serving  in  Metz.  She  had  a  small  cottage  by  the 
roadside,  with  a  little  loft  above  which  you  reached 
by  a  ladder,  and  a  small  garden  behind,  entirely 
ravaged.  A  few  ropes  of  onions,  a  few  peas  and 
beans  in  a  basket,  were  all  her  provisions.  She  con- 
cealed nothing;  and  whenever  a  Prussian  came  in  to 
ask  for  anything  she  feigned  deafness  and  answered 
nothing.  Her  misery,  her  broken  windows,  her 
dilapidated^  walls  and  the  little  cupboard  left  wide 
open,  soon  induced  these  greedy  gluttons  to  go  some- 
where else,  supposing  there  was  nothing  for  them 
there. 

This  poor  woman  had  observed  our  wretched 
plight;  she  had  invited  us  in,  asking  us  where  we 
were  from,  and  we  had  told  her  of  our  misfortunes. 
She  herself  had  told  us  that  there  remained  a  few 
bundles  of  hay  in  the  loft  and  that  we  might  take 
them,  as  she  had  no  need  for  them;  the  Germans 
having  eaten  her  cow. 


214  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

"We  climbed  up  there  to  sleep  by  night  and  drew 
up  tfie  ladder  after  us,  listening  to  the  rain  plashing 
on  the  roof  and  running  off  the  tiles. 

George  had  but  ten  sous  left  and  I  had  nothing,, 
when,  on  the  third  day,  as  we  were  lying  in  the  hay- 
loft, about  two  in  the  morning,  the  bugle  sounded. 
Something  had  happened:  an  order  had  come — I 
don't  know  what. 

We  listened  attentively.  There  were  hurrying 
footsteps;  the  butts  of  the  muskets  were  rattling  on 
the  pavement :  they  were  assembling,  falling  in,  and 
in  all  directions  were  cries : 

"  The  drivers!  the  drivers!  where  are  they? " 

The  commander  was  swearing:  he  shouted 
furiously, 

"  Fetch  them  here!  find  them!  shoot  the  vaga- 
bonds." 

We  did  not  stir  a  finger. 

Suddenly  the  door  burst  open.  The  Prussians 
demanded  in  German  and  in  French:  "  Where  are 
the  drivers — those  Alsacian  drivers?  " 

The  aged  dame  answered  not  a  word;  she  shook 
her  head,  and  looked  as  deaf  as  a  post,  just  as  usual. 
At  last,  out  they  rushed  again.  The  rascals  had  in- 
deed seen  the  trap-door  in  the  ceiling,  but  it  seems 
they  were  in  a  hurry  and  could  not  find  a  ladder 
without  losing  time.  At  last,  whether  they  saw  it 
or  not,  presently  we  heard  the  tramping  of  the  men 
in  the  mud,  the  cracking  of  the  whips,  the  rolling  of 
the  carts,  and  then  all  was  silent. 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  215 

The  battalion  had  disappeared. 

Then  only,  after  they  had  left  half  an  hour, 
the  kind  old  woman  below  began  to  call  us. 
You  can  come  down,"  she  said ;  "  they  are  gone 
now." 

And  we  came  down. 

The  poor  woman  said,  laughing  heartily,  "  !N"ow 
you  are  safe!  Only  you  must  lose  no  time;  there 
might  come  an  order  to  catch  you.  There,  eat 
that." 

She  took  out  of  the  cupboard  a  large  basin  full  of 
soup  made  of  beans — for  she  used  to  cook  enough 
for  three  or  four  days  at  a  time — and  warmed  it  over 
the  fire.. 

"  Eat  it  all;  never  mind  me!  I  have  got  more 
beans  left." 

There  was  no  need  for  pressing,  and  in  a  couple 
of  minutes  the  basin  was  empty. 

The  good  woman  looked  on  with  pleasure,  and 
George  said  to  her:  "  We  have  not  had  such  a  meal 
for  a  week." 

"  So  much  the  better!  I  am  glad  to  have  done 
you  any  service!  And  now  go.  I  wish  I  could 
give  you  some  money;  but  I  have  none." 

"  You  have  saved  our  lives,"  I  said.  "  God  grant 
you  may  see  your  son  again.  But  I  have  another 
request  to  make  before  we  go." 

"AVhatisit,then?" 

"  Leave  to  give  you  a  kiss." 

"Ah,  gladly,  my  poor  Alsacians,  with  all  my 


216  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

heart !  I  am  not  pretty  as  I  used  to  be;  but  it  is  all 
the  same." 

And  we  kissed  her  as  we  would  a  mother. 

When  we  went  to  the  door,  the  daylight  was 
breaking. 

"  Before  you  lies  the  road  to  Dun-sur-Meuse,"  she 
said,  "  don't  take  that;  that  is  the  road  the  Prus- 
sians have  taken :  no  doubt  the  commander  has  given 
a  description  of  you  in  the  next  village.  But  here  is 
the  road  to  Metz  by  Damvillers  and  Etain;  follow 
that.  If  you  are  stopped  say  that  your  horses  were 
worked  to  death,  and  you  were  released." 

This  poor  old  woman  was  full  of  good  sense.  "We 
pressed  her  hand  again,  with  tears  in  our  eyes,  and 
then  we  set  off,  following  the  road  she  had  pointed 
out  to  us. 

I  should  be  very  much  puzzled  now  to  tell  you  all 
the  villages  we  passed  between  Jametz  and  Rothalp. 
All  that  country  between  Metz,  Montmedy  and  Ver- 
dun was  swarming  with  cavalry  and  infantry,  living 
at  the  expense  of  the  people,  and  keeping  them,  as 
it  were,  in  a  net,  to  eat  them  as  they  were  wanted. 
The  troops  of  the  line,  and  especially  the  gunners, 
kept  around  the  fortresses;  the  rest,  the  Landwehr  in 
masses,  occupied  even  the  smallest  hamlets  and 
made  requisitions  everywhere. 

In  one  little  village  between  Jametz  and  Dam- 
villers, we  heard  on  our  right  a  sharp  rattle  of  mus- 
ketry along  a  road,  and  George  said  to  me:  "  Behind 
there  our  battalion  is  engaged.  All  I  hope  is  that 


STORY    OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  217 

the  brave  commander  who  talked  of  shooting  us 
may  get  a  ball  through  him,  and  your  corporal 
too." 

The  village  people  standing  at  their  doors  said, 
"  It  is  the  f  rancs-tireurs !  " 

And  joy  broke  out  in  every  countenance,  especially 
when  an  old  man  ran  up  from  the  path  by  the  ceme- 
tery, crying:  "  Two  carriages,  full  of  wounded,  are 
coming — two  large  Alsacian  wagons ;  they  are  es- 
corted by  hussars." 

We  had  just  stopped  at  a  grocer's  shop  in  the  mar- 
ket square,  and  were  asking  the  woman  who  kept 
this  little  shop  if  there  was  no  watchmaker  in  the 
place — for  my  cousin  wished  to  sell  his  watch,  which 
he  had  hidden  beneath  his  shirt,  since  we  had  left 
Droulingen — and  the  woman  was  coming  down  the 
steps  to  point  out  the  spot,  when  the  old  man  began 
to  cry,  "  Here  come  the  Alsacian  carts!  " 

Immediately,  without  waiting  for  more,  we  set 
off  at  a  run  to  the  other  end  of  the  village ;  but  near 
to  a  little  river,  whose  name  I  cannot  remember,  just 
over  a  clump  of  pollard  willows,  we  caught  the  glit- 
ter of  a  couple  of  helmets,  and  this  made  us  take  a 
path  along  the  river-side,  which  was  then  running 
over  in  consequence  of  the  heavy  rains.  We  went 
on  thus  a  considerable  distance,  having  sometimes 
the  water  up  to  our  knees. 

In  about  half  an  hour  we  were  getting  out  of 
these  reed  beds,  and  had  just  caught  eight,  above  the 
hill  on  our  left,  of  the  steeple  of  another  village, 


2i8  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

when  a  cry  of  "  Wer  da!  "*  stopped  us  short,  near  a 
deserted  hut  two  or  three  hundred  paces  from  the 
first  house.  At  the  same  moment  a  Landwehr  start- 
ed out  of  the  empty  house,  his  rifie  pointed  at  us, 
and  his  finger  on  the  trigger. 

George  seeing  no  means  of  escape,  answered, 
"  Outer  freund!"f 

"  Stand  there,"  cried  the  German:  "  don't  stir,  or 
I  fire." 

We  were,  of  course,  obliged  to  stop,  and  only  ten 
minutes  afterward,  a  picket  coming  out  of  the  vil- 
lage to  relieve  the  sentinel,  carried  us  off  like  va- 
grants to  the  mayoralty-house.  There  the  captain  of 
the  Landwehr  questioned  us  at  great  length  as  to 
who  we  were,  whence  we  came,  the  cause  of  our  de- 
parture, and  why  we  had  no  passes. 

We  repeated  that  our  horses  were  dead  of  over- 
work, and  that  we  had  been  told  to  return  home ;  but 
he  refused  to  believe  us.  At  last,  however,  as  George 
was  asking  him  for  money  to  pursue  our  journey, 
he  began  to  exclaim:  "  To  the with  you,  scoun- 
drels! Am  I  to  furnish  you  with  provisions  and 
rations!  Go;  and  mind  you  don't  come  this  way 
again,  or  it  will  be  worse  for  you !  " 

We  went  out  very  well  satisfied. 

At  the  bottom  of  the  stairs,  George  was  thinking 

of  going  up  again  to  ask  for  a  pass;  but  I  was  so 

alarmed  lest  this  captain  should  change  his  mind, 

that  I  obliged  my  cousin  to  put  a  good  distance  be- 

*  "  Who  goes  there?  "  f  "  A  friend." 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  219 

tween  that  fellow  and  ourselves  with  all  possible 
speed;  which  we  did,  without  any  other  misad- 
venture until  we  came  to  Etain.  There  George  sold 
his  gold  watch  and  chain  for  sixty-five  francs;  mak- 
ing, however,  the  watchmaker  promise  that  if  he 
remitted  to  him  seventy-five  francs  before  the  end 
of  the  month,  the  watch  and  chain  should  be  re- 
turned to  him. 

The  watchmaker  promised,  and  cousin  then  tak- 
ing me  by  the  arm,  said :  "  £u>w,  Christian,  come  on ; 
we  have  fasted  long  enough,  let  us  have  a  banquet." 

And  a  hundred  paces  farther  on,  at  the  street  cor- 
ner, we  went  into  one  of  those  little  inns  where  jou 
may  have  a  bed  for  a  few  sous. 

The  men  there,  in  a  little  dark  room,  were  not 
gentlemen ;  they  were  taking  their  bottles  of  wine, 
with  their  caps  over  one  ear,  and  shirt  collars  loose 
and  open;  but  seeing  us  at  the  door,  ragged  as  we 
were,  with  three-weeks'  shirts,  and  beards  and  hats 
saturated  and  out  of  all  shape  and  discolored  with 
rain  and  sun,  they  took  us  at  first  for  bear-leaders, 
or  dromedary  drivers. 

The  hostess,  a  fat  woman,  came  forward  to  ask 
what  we  wanted. 

"  Your  best  strong  soup,  a  good  piece  of  beef,  a 
bottle  of  good  wine,  and  as  much  bread  as  we  can 
eat,"  said  George. 

The  fat  woman  gazed  at  us  with  winking  eyes, 
and  without  moving,  as  if  to  ask:  "  All  very  fine! 
but  who  is  going  to  pay  me?  " 


220  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

George  displayed  a  five-franc  piece,  and  at  once 
she  replied,  smiling:  "  Gentlemen,  we  will  attend 
to  you  immediately." 

Around  us  were  murmurings :  "  They  are  Al- 
sacians !  they  are  Germans !  they  are  this,  they  are 
that!" 

But  we  heeded  nothing,  we  spread  our  elbows  up- 
on the  table ;  and  the  soup  having  appeared  in  a  huge 
basin,  it  was  evident  that  our  appetites  were  good; 
as  for  the  beef,  a  regular  Prussian  morsel,  it  was 
gone  in  a  twinkling,  although  it  weighed  two 
pounds,  and  was  flanked  with  potatoes  and  other 
vegetables.  Then,  the  first  bottle  having  disap- 
peared, George  had  called  for  a  second ;  and  our  eyes 
were  beginning  to  be  opened;  we  regarded  the  peo- 
ple in  another  light;  and  one  of  the  bystanders  hav- 
ing ventured  to  repeat  that  we  were  Germans, 
George  turned  sharply  round  and  cried:  "  Who  says 
we  are  Germans?  Come  let  us  see!  If  he  has  any 
spirit,  let  him  rise.  "We  Germans !  " 

Then  he  took  up  the  bottle  and  shattered  it  upon 
the  table  in  a  thousand  fragments.  I  saw  that  he 
was  losing  his  head,  and  cried  to  him:  "  George,  for 
Heaven's  sake  don't :  you  will  get  us  taken  up !  " 

But  all  the  spectators  agreed  with  him. 

"  It  is  abominable !  "  cried  George.  "  Let  the 
man  who  said  we  are  Germans  stand  out  and  speak; 
let  him  come  out  with  me;  let  him  choose  sabre, 
or  sword,  whatever  he  likes,  it  is  all  the  same  to 
me." 


STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  221 

The  speaker  thus  called  upon,  a  youth  rose  and 
said:  "  Pardon  me,  I  apologize;  I  thought — 

u  You  had  no  right  to  think,"  said  George;  "  such 
things  never  should  be  said.  We  are  Alsacians, 
true  Frenchmen,  men  of  mature  age  ;  my  com- 
panion's son  is  at  Phalsbourg  in  the  Mobiles,  and  I 
have  served  in  the  Marines.  We  have  been  carried 
away,  dragged  off  by  the  Germans;  we  have  lost  our 
horses  and  our  carriages,  and  now  on  arriving  here, 
our  own  fellow-countrymen  insult  us  in  this  way 
because  we  have  said  a  few  words  in  Alsacian,  just 
as  Bretons  would  speak  in  Breton  and  Provencals  in 
Provencal." 

"  I  ask  your  pardon,"  repeated  the  young  man. 
"  I  was  in  the  wrong — I  acknowledge  it.  You  are 
good  Frenchmen." 

"  I  forgive  you,"  said  George,  scrutinizing  himj 
"  but  how  old  are  you?  " 

"  Eighteen." 

"  Well,  go  where  yon  ought  to  be,  and  show  that 
you,  too,  are  as  good  a  Frenchman  as  we  are.  There 
are  no  young  men  left  in  Alsace.  You  understand 
my  meaning." 

Everybody  was  listening.  The  young  man  went 
out,  and  as  cousin  was  asking  for  another  bottle,  the 
landlady  whispered  to  him  over  his  shoulder:  "  You 
arc  good  Frenchmen ;  but  you  have  spoken  before  a 
great  many  people — strangers,  that  I  know  nothing 
of.  You  had  better  go." 

Immediately,  George  recovered  his  senses;    he 


222  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

laid  a  cent-sous  piece  on  the  table,  the  woman  gave 
him  two  francs  fifty  centimes  change,  and  we  went 
out. 

Once  out,  George  said  to  me:  "  Let  us  step  out: 
«.nger  makes  a  fool  of  a  man." 

And  we  set  off  down  one  little  street,  then  up  an- 
other, till  we  came  out  into  the  open  fields.  Night 
was  approaching;  if  we  had  been  taken  again,  it 
would  have  been  a  worse  business  than  the  first ;  and 
we  knew  that  so  well,  that  that  night  and  the  next 
day  we  dared  not  even  enter  the  villages,  for  fear  of 
being  seized  and  brought  back  to  our  battalion. 

At  last,  fatigue  obliged  us  to  enter  an  enclosure. 
It  was  very  cold  for  the  season ;  but  we  had  become 
accustomed  to  our  wretchedness,  and  we  slept 
against  a  wall,  upon  a  bit  of  straw  matting,  just  as  in 
our  own  beds.  Rising  in  the  morning  at  the  dawn 
of  day,  we  found  ourselves  covered  with  hoar-frost, 
and  George,  straining  his  eyes  in  the  distance,  asked: 
"  Do  you  know  that  place  down  there,  Christian?  " 

I  looked. 

"  Why,  it  is  Chateau-Balms!  " 

Ah !  now  all  was  well.  At  Chateau-Salins  lived 
an  old  cousin,  Desjardins,  the  first  dyer  in  the  coun- 
try: Desjardins's  grandfather  and  ours  had  married 
sisters  before  the  Revolution.  He  was  a  Lutheran, 
and  even  a  Calvin ist;  we  were  Catholics;  but  never- 
theless, we  knew  each  other,  and  were  fond  of  each 
other,  as  very  near  relations. 


CHAPTER  X 

WE  arrived  at  the  door  of  Jacques  Desjardins 
about  seven  in  the  morning;  he  had  just  got  up,  and 
was  taking  coffee  with  his  wife  and  his  children. 

At  the  first  sight  of  us,  Desjardins  stood  with  his 
mouth  wide  open,  and  his  wife  and  his  children  were 
preparing  for  flight,  or  to  call  for  help ;  but  when  I 
said:  "  Good-morning,  cousin;  it  is  we,"  Desjardins 
cried:  "  Good  heavens!  it  is  Christian  and  George 
Weber!  .What  has  happened?  " 

"  Yes,  it  is  we,  indeed,  cousin,"  said  George. 
"  See  what  a  condition  the  Prussians  have  brought 
us  to." 

"  The  Prussians!  Ah,  the  brigands!  "  said  Des- 
jardins. "  Lise,  send  to  the  butcher  for  some  chops 
— get  some  wine  up.  Ah!  my  poor  cousins.  I 
think  you  must  want  to  change  your  clothes,  too." 

"  Yes,"  said  George;  "and  to  shave." 

"  Well,  come  then.  While  your  breakfast  is  get- 
ting ready,  you  will  change  your  shirts  and  clothes. 
You  will  put  on  mine,  until  yours  have  been  washed. 
Good  gracious !  is  it  possible  ?  " 

He  took  us  into  a  beautiful  room  upstairs;  he 
opened  the  linen  drawers.  Cousin  Lise  was  coming 
to  fill  our  basins  with  clean  warm  water. 

223 


224  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

"  Put  on  my  shoes  and  stockings,  too,"  said  Des- 
jardins. "  Here  are  my  razors.  Make  yourselves 
comfortable.  Ah!  those  thieves  and  rogues  of 
Germans!  Did  they,  indeed,  treat  you  in  that 
way — a  mayor,  and  a  person  of  such  respect- 
ability?" 

Then  she  left  the  room,  and  we  began  to  throw 
off  our  clothes.  The  sight  of  our  stockings,  our 
neckerchiefs,  and  our  shirts,  made  this  kind  old 
Father  Desjardins  groan;  for  he  was  one  of  the 
best  of  men.  He  could  hardly  believe  his  eyes,  and 
said:  "  My  poor  cousins!  you  have  had  a  dreadful 
bad  time." 

Our  first  business  was  to  get  a  good  wash.  The 
nice,  clean  white  shirts  were  already  spread  open 
upon  the  bed ;  and  I  cannot  tell  you  what  pleasure 
I  experienced  in  feeling  this  nice  fresh  linen  next 
to  my  skin. 

After  this  I  shaved,  while  George  was  recount- 
ing our  misfortunes  to  our  cousin,  who  interrupted 
him  at  every  moment,  crying:  "What!  what! 
Did  the  barbarous  creatures  carry  their  cruelty  to 
such  a  point?  Then  they  are  bandits  indeed! 
Never  has  the  like  been  seen!  " 

I  wiped  myself  dry  and  comfortable,  even  to  be- 
hind the  ears,  and  passed  the  razor  to  George.  Our 
Cousin  Desjardins  lent  me  a  pair  of  stockings, 
trousers,  a  blouse,  and  nice  dry  shoes.  We  were 
about  the  same  height,  and  never  had  I  been  more 
comfortable  in  my  life. 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  22$ 

Then  George  dressed;  and  just  as  \ve  were  fin- 
ishing, the  servant  came  tapping  at  the  door,  to 
announce  breakfast;  and  we  came  down  full  of 
grateful  feelings. 

Cousin  Lise  and  the  children  were  waiting  to 
embrace  us;  for  they  did  not  dare  come  near  us 
before,  and  now  they  were  anxious  to  excuse  them- 
selves for  having  received  us  so  badly.  But  it  was 
natural  enough,  and  we  did  not  feel  hurt. 

I  need  not  tell  you  with  what  appetites  we  break- 
fasted. George  began  again  the  story  of  our  mis- 
fortunes for  Cousin  Lise  and  the  children,  who  were 
listening  with  eyes  wide  open  with  amazement,  and 
cried :  "  Is  it  really  possible  ?  How  much  you  must 
have  suffered,  and  how  happy  you  must  be  now  you 
are  safe !  " 

When  we  had  finished  she  told  us  that  all  this 
was  the  doing  of  the  Jesuits;  that  those  people 
had  sent  abroad  evil  reports  of  the  Protestants,  and 
that  now,  the  Prussians  having  proved  victorious, 
they  were  preaching  against  Gambetta  and  Gari- 
baldi. She  told  us  that  it  was  those  people  who  had 
excited  the  Emperor  to  declare  war,  supposing  that 
their  Society  would  have  nothing  to  lose  and  every- 
thing to  gain  by  it;  that  if  the  French  should  con- 
quer, they  would  crush  the  Lutherans;  and  that  if 
the  French  lost,  Chambord  would  be  set  up  again, 
to  restore  to  the  Pope  the  ancient  patrimony  of  St. 
Peter. 

Thus  spoke  Cousin  Lise,  an  elderly  woman  with 
is 


226         »    STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

hair  turning  gray>  and  who  took  a  pleasure  in  dis- 
cussing these  subjects. 

But  George,  after  emptying  his  glass,  answered 
that  the  true  cause  of  all  our  misfortunes  was  the 
army;  that  that  army  was  not  the  army  of  the  na- 
tion, but  of  the  Emperor,  who  bestowed  rank,  hon- 
ors, pensions,  and  grants  of  money;  that  the  in- 
terests of  such  an  army  is  ever  opposed  to  that  of 
the  country  and  the  people,  because  the  army  wants 
war,  to  get  promotion;  but  the  people  want  peace, 
to  work,  bring  up  their  children,  and  gain  a  liveli- 
hood. 

Cousin  Desjardins  agreed  with  him;  and  when 
coffee  was  brought,  Lise  and  her  children  went  out. 
Pipes  were  lighted,  and  our  cousin  told  us  the  latest 
news. 

Desjardins  had  many  books,  like  most  of  the 
Protestants,  and  received  newspapers  from  all  quar- 
ters; first  of  all,  the  Independance  Beige,  then  pa- 
pers from  Cologne,  Frankfort,  Berne  m  Switzer- 
land, Geneva,  and  elsewhere.  At  his  age — having 
a  son  fifty  years  old — he  did  not  trouble  himself 
much  now  about  dyeing  or  business,  and  spent  his 
time  in  reading. 

He  was  therefore  a  better-informed  man  than 
we  were,  and  one  in  whom  we  could  place  full 
confidence.  It  was  from  him  that  we  heard  of  the 
splendid  defence  of  Chateaudun,  the  landing  of 
Garibaldi  at  Marseilles,  and  his  appointment  as 
General  of  the  Army  of  the  Vosges,  the  march 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  227 

of  tlie  Bavarians  under  Von  der  Tann  upon  the 
Loire,  and  the  arrival  of  the  francs-tireurs  in  our 
iiiountains,  in  the  direction  of  Epinal  and  Raon- 
1'Etape.  He  read  to  us  that  fine  proclamation  of 
Gambetta  to  the  French  people,  setting  forth  the 
high  purpose  of  the  inhabitants  of  Paris,  their  in- 
exhaustible means  of  defence,  the  organization  of 
the  citizens  as  Kational  Guards,  the  union  and  har- 
mony of  all  in  this  moment  of  difficulty,  and  the 
victualling  of  the  city  for  several  months,  which 
would  raise  the  spirit  of  the  provinces  and  give  them 
courage  to  follow  so  noble  an  example. 

I  still  remember  this  passage,  which  stirred  me 
like  a  trumpet : 

"  Citizens  of  the  departments,  this  position  of  af- 
fairs imposes  important  duties  upon  you.  The  first 
of  all  is  to  allow  no  other  occupation  whatever  to  di- 
vert your  attention  from  the  war — from  a  struggle 
to  the  very  last  extremity;  the  second  is,  until 
peace  shall  be  made,  loyally  to  accept  the  Republi- 
can power,  which  has  sprung  equally  from  necessity 
and  from  right  principle.  You  must  have  but  one 
thought:  to  rescue  France  from  the  abyss  into 
which  it  has  been  plunged  by  the  Empire.  There 
is  no  want  of  men:  all  that  is  wanting  is  determi- 
nation, decision,  and  continuity  in  the  execution  of 
plans;  what  we  have  lost  by  the  disgraceful  capit- 
ulation of  Sedan  is  arms.  The  whole  of  the  re- 
sources of  our  nation  had  been  directed  upon  Sedan, 
Metz,  and  Strasbourg;  and  we  might  justly  con- 


228  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

elude  that  by  one  final  and  guilty  plot,  the  author  oi 
all  our  disasters  had  schemed,  in  falling,  to  deprive 
us  of  all  means  of  repairing  the  ruin  he  had 
caused!  " 

"  He  is  quite  capable,"  cried  George.  "  Yes,  I 
am  sure  the  honest  man  contrived  to  .leave  himself 
a  back  door  into  Prussia." 

Cousin  Desjardins  continued:  "  At  this  moment, 
thanks  to  the  extraordinary  exertions  of  patriotic 
men,  arrangements  have  been  concluded,  the  end 
and  object  of  which  is  to  draw  to  ourselves  all  the 
disposable  muskets  in  all  the  markets  of  the  globe. 
The  difficulty  of  effecting  this  negotiation  was  very 
serious :  it  is  now  overcome.  With  regard  to  equip- 
ments and  clothing,  manufactories  and  workshops 
will  be  multiplied,  and  materials  laid  under  requisi- 
tion wherever  needed;  neither  hands  nor  zeal  on 
the  part  of  workers  are  wanting,  nor  will  money  be 
lacking.  All  our  immense  resources  must  be  called 
into  play,  the  lethargy  of  the  rural  districts  shaken 
into  activity,  partisan  warfare  spread  in  all  direc- 
tions. Let  us,  therefore,  rise  as  one  man,  and  suffer 
death  rather  than  submit  to  the  disgrace  of  a  parti- 
tion of  our  country." 

The  enthusiasm  of  George  rose  with  every  sen- 
tence. 

"Good!  good!"  cried  he,  "this  is  speaking  to 
some  purpose.  Once  .give  the  impulse,  and  the 
object  will  soon  be  gained.  Our  youths  will  take 
up  arms  en  masse.  One  victory,  only  one,  and  all 


STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  229 

France  would  rise;  we  should  fall  like  hail  on  the 
backs  of  the  scoundrels;  they  would  be  looked  out 
for  at  every  corner  in  the  woods:  not  a  man  would 
live  to  get  back  again!  " 

Cousin  Desjardins,  having  folded  up  his  papers, 
said  nothing;  I,  too,  was  full  of  my  own  thoughts. 

"  And  you,  cousin,"  said  I,  "  have  you  any  con- 
fidence? " 

And  only  after  a  minute's  silence,  and  having 
taken  a  good  pinch  of  snuff,  to  waken  up  his  ideas — 
for  he  took  snuff,  like  all  the  old  folks,  but  did  not 
smoke ;  after  a  minute  he  said :  "  No,  Christian, 
I  have  no  hope;  but  it  is  not  the  Germans  that  I 
fear:  they  have  taken  Strasbourg;  after  a  time 
they  will  have  Metz  by  starvation — that  is  already 
settled.  They  are  besieging  Yerdun;  Soissons  has 
just  fallen  into  their  hands;  they  have  invested 
Paris;  they  are  advancing  upon  Orleans.  Well, 
in  spite  of  all  this,  it  is  not  the  Germans  that  I 
fear." 

"  Who  then?  "  asked  George. 

Without  noticing  the  question,  he  continued: 
"  France  is  so  strong,  so  brave,  so  rich,  so  intelli- 
gent, that  in  a  few  months  she  could  have  flung 
these  barbarians  across  the  Rhine  again;  but  what 
alarms  me,  is  the  enemies  in  our  midst." 

"  Nobody  is  moving,"  said  I. 

"  It  is  just  because  no  one  is  moving  that  the 
Germans  are  on  the  Loire,"  said  he,  fixing  his  clear, 
gray  eyes  upon  me.  "  If  the  question  was  to  re- 


230  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

store  Chambord,  Ferdinand  Philippe,  or  even 
Bonaparte  IV.,  you  would  see  all  the  old  council- 
lors-general, all  the  councillors  of  the  arrondisse- 
ments,  all  the  old  prefets,  sous-prefets,  magistrates, 
police  inspectors,  receivers  of  taxes,  comptrollers, 
gardes  yeneraux,  mayors,  and  deputy  mayors  in 
the  field.  No  matter  which  of  the  three,  for  the 
principal  object  is  to  have  a  Monsieur  who  has 
crosses,  promotions,  pensions,  and  perquisites  to 
give:  whichever  of  the  lot,  it  is  all  the  same  to 
them;  they  only  want  just  one  such  man!  These 
people  would  move  heaven  and  earth  for  their  man : 
they  would  put  the  peasants  into  lines  by  thousands, 
they  would  sing  the  Marseillaise,  they  would  shout 
the  '  country  is  in  danger!  '  And  the  bishops,  the 
priests,  the  cures,  the  vicars,  would  preach  the  holy 
war;  France  would  drive  the  Prussians  to  the  farthest 
corner  of  Prussia;  arms,  munitions  of  war,  stores 
would  be  found  for  every  day!  But  as  it  is  a  Re- 
public, and  as  the  Republic  demands  the  separation 
of  Church  and  State,  free  education,  compulsory 
military  service;  as  it  declares  that  all  must  con- 
tribute to  the  public  good,  that  a  rich  fool  is  not 
a  better  man  than  a  poor  but  able  man;  and  be- 
cause, on  this  principle,  merit  would  be  everything, 
and  intrigues  and  knavery  go  to  the  wall,  they  had 
rather  see  France  dismembered  than  consent  to  a 
Republic !  What  would  become  of  the  good  places 
of  the  senators,  the  peers  of  France,  prefects,  cham- 
berlains, squires,  receivers-general,  stewards,  mar- 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  231 

slials,  influential  deputies,  and  bishops  under  a  Re- 
public? They  would  all  be  put  into  one  basket: 
and  they  don't  want  that.  They  would  rather 
the  King  of  Prussia  than  the  Republic,  if  the 
King  of  Prussia  would  only  engage  to  keep  all  the 
good  places  for  them.  Yes,  in  their  eyes  la  patrie 
means  lucrative  places  and  pensions.  It  is  not  the 
first  time  that  the  Germans  have  been  relied  upon 
to  restore  order  in  France.  Marie  Antoinette  had 
already  ceded  Alsace  to  Austria,  to  have  her  ante- 
chambers filled  again  with  smooth-faced,  obsequi- 
ous old  servitors.  Passing  events  bring  back  those 
times  again.  Formerly  the  hunters  after  pensions, 
the  egotists  who  wanted  to  snap  up  everything  and 
leave  nothing  for  the  people,  were  called  nobles; 
now  it  is  the  bourgeois  trained  by  the  Jesuits.  But 
at  that  time  the  chiefs  of  the  Republic  were  re- 
solved upon  the  triumph  of  justice.  They  did  not 
leave  the  functionaries  and  the  generals  of  Louis 
XVI.  at  the  head  of  the  administrations  and  of  the 
armies.  These  great  patriots  had  common-sense. 
They  established  Republican  municipalities  in 
every  commune;  they  gave  the  command  of  our 
armies  to  Republican  generals;  they  restrained  the 
reactionnaires;  and  having  cleared  our  territory  of 
Germans,  they  judged  those  who  had  called  them 
in;  And  France  was  saved. 

"  The  same  thing  would  happen  to-day,  in  spite 
of  all  the  preparations  of  Germany,  in  spite  of  the 
treason  of  Bonaparte,  who,  seeing  his  dynasty  sacri- 


232  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

ficed  by  his  own  incapacity,  gave  up  our  last  army 
at  Sedan  to  stay  the  victory  of  the  Republic. 

"  Yes,  notwithstanding  the  egotism  of  this  un- 
happy man,  we  might  yet  beat  the  Germans,  if  the 
Royalists  were  not  at  the  head  of  our  affairs;  but 
they  are  everywhere.  In  Paris,  they  command  the 
National  Guard  and  the  army;  in  the  provinces, 
they  are  forming  those  famous  councils-general, 
whence  have  been  drawn  the  juries  to  acquit  Pierre 
Bonaparte,  and  who  would  without  shame  sentence 
Gambetta  to  death  if  they  were  assembled  to  try 
him.  Instead  of  helping  this  brave  man,  this  good 
patriot,  to  save  France,  they  will  obstruct  him; 
they  will  run  sticks  between  the  spokes  of  his 
wheels;  they  will  hinder  him  from  getting  the  nec- 
essary levies;  they  will  damp  the  enthusiasm  of 
the  people.  See  what  all  these  German  papers  say: 
they  cannot  sufficiently  abuse  Gambetta,  who  is  de- 
fending his  country,  nor  sufficiently  flatter  the  coun- 
cils-general named  under  the  Empire." 

"  But,  then,"  said  George,  "  must  we  surren- 
der? " 

"  No"  replied  Desjardins.  "  Although  we  are 
sure  of  being  vanquished,  we  must  show  that  we 
are  still  the  old  race:  that  its  roots  are  not  dead, 
and  that  the  tree  will  sprout  again.  If  we  had 
reeled  and  fallen  under  the  blow  of  Sedan,  the 
contempt  of  Europe  and  of  the  whole  world  would 
have  covered  us  forever.  The  nation  has  risen 
since.  It  seems  incredible.  Without  armies,  or 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  233 

guns,  or  muskets,  or  victuals,  or  military  stores,  be- 
trayed, surprised,  overrun  in  all  directions,  this  na- 
tion has  risen  again !  It  defends  itself !  One  brave 
man  has  been  found  sufficient  to  raise  its  courage. 
What  other  nation  would  have  done  as  much?  I 
am,  therefore,  of  opinion  that  the  struggle  must  be 
maintained  to  the  end,  that  the  Germans  may  be 
made,  as  it  were,  ashamed  of  their  victory.  They 
have  been  fifty  years  preparing;  they  have  hidden 
themselves  from  us,  to  spy  upon  us  in  time  of  peace; 
they  have  dissembled  their  hatred;  they  have 
brought  their  whole  power  to  bear  upon  us;  they 
have  studied  the  question  under  every  aspect;  they 
threw  against  us,  at  the  opening  of  the  campaign, 
600,000  men  against  220,000;  they  are  going  to 
attack  our  raw  conscripts  with  their  best  troops; 
they  will  be  five  and  six  against  one;  they  will  call 
Russia  to  their  help  if  they  want  it ;  and  then  they 
will  proclaim,  '  We  are  the  conquerors ! '  They 
will  not  be  ashamed  to  say,  '  We  have  vanquished 
France.  Now  it  is  we  who  are  La  Grande  Na- 
tion!'" 

"  All  that,"  said  George,  "  is  possible.  But  in 
the  meantime,  we  may  win  a  battle;  and,  if  we 
gain  a  victory,  things  will  be  different.  We  shall 
gain  fresh  courage,  and  the  Landwehr  who  are  sent 
against  us — almost  all  fathers  of  families — will  ask 
no  better  than  to  return  home." 

"  The  Landwehr  have  not  a  word  to  say,"  re- 
plied Desjardins:  "they  are  not  consulted;  those 


234  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

fellows  march  where  they  are  ordered;  they  have 
long  been  subject  to  military  discipline.  It  is  a 
machine:  nothing  but  a  machine;  but  a  machine 
of  crushing  weight." 

Then  Cousin  Desjardins  told  us  that,  having 
travelled  long  in  Germany  before  and  after  1848, 
on  business,  he  had  seen  how  these  people  detested 
us:  that  they  envied  us;  that  we  were  an  offence 
to  them;  that  hatred  of  the  French  was  taught  IL 
their  schools;  that  they  thought  themselves  our  su- 
periors, on  account  of  their  religion,  which  is  sim- 
ple and  natural;  while  ours,  with  all  its  ceremonies, 
its  Latin  chants,  its  tapers  and  its  tinsel,  induced 
them  to  look  upon  us  as  an  inferior  race,  like  the 
negroes,  who  are  only  fond  of  red,  and  hang  rings 
in  their  noses;  that,  especially,  they  deemed  their 
women  more  virtuous  and  more  worthy  of  respect 
than  ours :  this  they  attribute  also  to  their  superior 
religion,  which  keeps  them  at  home,  while  ours  pass 
their  time  in  all  sorts  of  ceremonies,  and  neglect 
their  first  duties. 

Desjardins  had  even  had  a  serious  dispute  upon 
this  subject  with  a  school-master,  being  unable  to 
hear  an  open  avowal  of  such  an  opinion  of  French- 
women; amongst  whom  we  number  Jeanne  d'Arc 
and  other  heroines,  whose  grandeur  of  character 
German  women  are  unable  to  comprehend. 

He  told  us  that,  from  this  point  of  view,  the 
Germans,  and  especially  the  Prussians,  consid- 
ered us  Alsacians  and  Lorrainers  as  exiles  from 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  235 

fatherland,  and  unfortunate  in  being  under  the 
dominion  of  a  debased  race  kept  in  ignorance  by 
the  priests. 

George,  on  hearing  this,  became  furious,  and 
cried  that  we  had  more  intelligence  and  more  sense 
than  all  the  Germans  put  together. 

"  Yes,  I  believe  so,  too,"  replied  Cousin  Des- 
jardins;  "only  we  ought  to  use  it;  we  ought  to 
set  up  schools  everywhere;  the  lowest  Frenchman 
should  be  able  to  read  and  write  our  own  language ; 
and  this  is  exactly  what  the  lovers  of  good  places 
don't  wish  for.  If  the  people  had  been  educated, 
we  should  have  known  what  was  going  on  upon  the- 
other  side  of  the  Rhine;  we  should  have  had  na- 
tional armies,  able  generals,  a  watchful  commissa- 
riat, a  sound  organization,  enlightened  and  consci- 
entious deputies;  we  should  have  had  all  that  we 
are  now  wanting;  we  should  not  have  placed  the 
power  of  making  war  or  peace  in  the  hands  of  an 
imbecile ;  we  should  not  have  stupidly  attacked  the 
Germans,  and  the  Germans,  seeing  us  ready  to  re- 
ceive them,  would  have  been  careful  not  to  attack 
us.  All  our  defeats,  all  our  divisions,  our  internal 
troubles,  our  revolutions,  our  battles  and  massacres 
in  the  streets;  the  transportations,  the  hatred  be- 
tween classes — all  this  comes  of  ignorance;  and  this 
abominable  ignorance  is  the  doing  of  the  selfish 
statesmen  who  have  governed  us  for  seventy  years. 
Good  sense,  justice,  and  patriotism  would  lead  them 
to  inform  the  people;  they  preferred  an  alliance 


236  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

•with,  the  Jesuits  to  degrade  the  people;  can  any 
treason  be  worse  ?  " 

George,  who  had  long  entertained  the  same  view, 
had  nothing  to  add;  but  he  still  argued  that  we 
might  gain  a  victory,  and  that  then  we  should  be 
saved. 

Cousin  Desjardins  shook  his  head,  saying:  "  Our 
forces  are  of  too  inferior  a  quality;  Gambetta  will 
never  have  time  to  organize  them;  and  if  the  trai- 
tors thought  that  he  would,  they  would  deliver  up 
Metz  at  once,  in  order  that  the  second  German  army, 
Prince  Frederick  Charles's,  might  reach  the  Loire 
in  time  to  prevent  our  army  from  raising  the  siege 
of  Paris:  for  then,  I  think,  the  country  might  be 
saved.  But  this  will  not  come  to  pass.  When  I 
saw  generals  coming  out  of  Metz  to  go  and  consult 
the  Empress  in  England,  I  knew  that  our  cause  was 
lost.  And  then  the  forces  of  King  William  are  im- 
mense. Those  300,000  Russians  who,  as  the  papers 
tell  us,  are  ready  to  march  upon  Constantinople, 
are  only  waiting  the  nod  of  the  King  of  Prussia 
to  start  by  the  railways  and  come  to  overwhelm 
us,  if  the  Germans  don't  think  themselves  numerous 
enough  to  vanquish  us  with  1,200,000  men.  The 
decisive  opinion  of  Europe  is  that  there  shall  be  no 
republic  in  France — no,  not  at  any  price ;  for,  if  the 
republic  was  established  here,  every  monarchy 
would  be  shaken;  the  nations  would  all  follow  our 
example,  and  there  would  be  an  end  of  war;  we 
should  have  a  European  confederation;  kings,  em- 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  237 

perors,  princes,  courtiers,  and  professional  soldiers 
might  all  be  bowed  off  the  stage.  Only  commerce, 
industry,  science  and  arts  would  be  thought  of;  to 
be  anything,  a  man  would  have  to  know  something. 
The  talent  of  drawing  up  men  in  line  to  be  mown 
down  by  cannon  and  mitrailleuses,  would  be  rele- 
gated to  the  rear  ranks;  and  a  hundred  years  hence, 
men  would  hardly  believe  that  such  things  have 
ever  been ;  it  would  be  too  stupid." 

Desjardins  then  told  us  how,  in  1830,  travelling 
about  Solingen  to  buy  dye-stuffs,  he  had  noticed  that 
the  Prussians  thought  of  nothing  but  war.  From 
that  very  time  they  exhausted  themselves  to  keep 
on  foot,  and  ready  to  march,  an  army  of  400,000 
disciplined  men.  Since  then,  after  their  fusion  with 
the  forces  of  North  Germany,  Bavaria,  Wurtem- 
berg,  and  Baden,  the  total  would  amount  to  more 
than  a  million  of  men,  without  reckoning  the  lands- 
turm:  composed,  it  is  true,  of  men  in  years,  but 
who  have  all  served,  and  can  handle  a  rifle,  load  a 
gun,  and  ride  well. 

"  Here,  then,  is  what  Monsieur  Bonaparte  has 
brought  upon  our  shoulders  without  necessity," 
said  he ;  "  and  it  is  against  such  a  power  that  Gam- 
betta  is  undertaking  to  organize  in  haste  the  youth 
that  are  left,  and  of  whom  the  greater  part  have 
never  served.  I  confess  my  hopes  are  small.  God 
grant  that  I  may  be  mistaken ;  but  I  fear  that  Al- 
sace and  Lorraine  are  for  the  time  ingulfed  in  Ger- 
many. The  war  will  continue  for  a  time;  treach- 


238  STORY    OF   THE    PLEBISCITE 

ery  will  go  on  working;  and,  finally,  after  all  our 
sufferings,  messieurs  the  sometime  Ministers  and 
councillors-general,  the  former  prefets  and  sous- 
prefets,  the  old  functionaries  of  every  grade,  in  a 
word,  all  the  egotists  will  be  on  the  look-out,  and 
will  say :  '  Let  us  make  an  arrangement  with  Bis- 
marck. Let  us  make  peace  at  the  expense  of  Al- 
sace and  Lorraine ;  and  let  us  name  a  king  who  shall 
find  us  first-rate  places;  France  will  still  be  rich 
enough  to  find  us  salaries  and  pensions.' ' 

Thus  spoke  Cousin  Desjardins;  and  George, 
growing  more  and  more  angry,  striking  the  table 
with  his  fist,  said,  "What  I  cannot  understand  is 
that  the  English  desert  us,  and  that  they  should 
p.llow  the  Prussians  to  extend  their  territory  as  they 
like." 

"  Ah,"  said  Desjardins,  smiling,  ''  the  English 
are  not  what  they  once  were.  They  have  become 
too  rich ;  they  cling  to  their  comforts.  Their  great 
statesmen  are  no  longer  Pitts  and  Chathams,  who 
looked  to  the  future  greatness  of  their  nation  and 
took  measures  to  secure  it:  provided  only  that  busi- 
ness prospers  from  day  to  day,  future  generations 
and  the  greatness  of  Britain  give  them  no  concern." 

"  Just  so,"  said  George.  "  If  you  had  sailed,  as 
I  have  done,  in  the  North  Sea  and  the  Baltic,  if 
you  had  seen  what  an  enormous  maritime  power 
North  Germany  may  possibly  become  in  a  few 
years,  with  her  hundred  and  sixty  leagues  of  sea- 
coast,  her  harbors  of  Dantzig,  Stettin,  Hamburg, 


STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  239 

and  Bremen,  whither  the  finest  rivers  bring  all  the 
best  products  of  Central  Europe,  all  kinds  of  raw 
material,  not  only  from  Germany  and  Poland,  but 
also  from  Russia;  if  you  had  seen  that  population 
of  sailors,  of  traders,  which  increases  daily,  you 
would  be  unable  to  understand  the  indifference  of 
the  English.  Have  they  lost  the  use  of  their  eyes? 
Has  the  love  of  Protestantism  and  comfort  deprived 
them  of  all  discernment?  I  cannot  tell;  but  they 
must  see  that  if  King  William  and  Bismarck  want 
Alsace  and  Lorraine,  it  is  not  exactly  for  the  love 
of  us  Alsacians  and  Lorrainers,  but  to  hold  the 
course  of  the  Rhine  from  its  source  in  the  German 
cantons  of  Switzerland  down  to  its  outfall  at  Rot- 
terdam; and  that  in  holding  this  great  river  they 
will  control  all  the  commerce  of  our  industrial 
provinces  and  be  able  to  feed  the  Dutch  colonies 
with  their  produce,  which  will  make  them  the  first 
maritime  power  on  the  Continent;  and  that,  to 
carry  out  their  purpose  without  being  molested — 
whilst  the  Russians  are  attacking  Constantinople, 
they  will  install  themselves  quietly  in  the  Dutch 
ports,  as  they  did  in  the  case  of  Hanover,  and  will 
offer  us  Belgium,  and  perhaps  even  something  more  I 
All  this  is  evident." 

"  No  doubt,  cousin,"  said  Desjardins.  "  I  also 
believe  that  every  fault  brings  its  own  punishment: 
the  English  will  suffer  for  their  faults,  as  we  are 
doing  for  ours;  and  the  Germans,  after  having  ter- 
rified the  world  with  their  ambition,  will  one  day  be 


240  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

made  to  rue  their  cruelty,  their  hypocrisy,  and  their 
robberies.  God  is  just !  But  in  the  meantime,  until 
that  day  shall  arrive,  we  are  confiscated,  and  all  our 
observations  are  useless." 

And  so  the  conversation  went  on:  I  cannot  re- 
member it  entirely,  but  I  have  given  you  the  sub- 
stacce  of  it. 


CHAPTER  XI 

remained  with  Cousin  Desjardins  all  that 
day.  Cousin  Lise  had  our  shirts  washed,  our 
clothes  cleaned,  and  our  shoes  dried  before  the  fire, 
after  having  first  filled  them  with  hot  embers;  and 
the  next  day  we  took  our  leave  of  these  excellent 
people,  thanking  them  from  the  bottom  of  our 
hearts. 

We  were  very  impatient  to  see  our  native  place 
again,  of  which  we  had  had  no  news  for  a  month; 
and  especially  our  poor  wives,  who  must  have  sup- 
posed us  lost. 

The  weather  was  damp;  there  were  forebodings 
of  a  hard  winter. 

At  Dieuze  the  rumor  reached  us  that  Bazaine 
had  just  surrendered  Metz,  with  all  his  army,  his 
flags,  his  guns,  rifles,  stores,  and  wounded,  uncon- 
ditionally ! 

The  Prussian  officers  were  drinking  champagne 
at  the  inn  where  we  halted.  They  were  laughing! 
George  was  pale;  I  felt  an  oppression  on  my  heart. 

Some  people  who  were  there,  carriers — Ger- 
man Jews,  who  followed  their  armies  with  carts, 
to  load  them  with  the  clocks,  the  pots  and  pans, 
16  341 


242  STORY    OF   THE    PLEBISCITE 

the  linen,  the  furniture,  and  everything  which  the 
officers  and  soldiers  sold  them  after  having  pillaged 
them  in  our  houses — told  us  how  horses  were  given 
away  round  Metz  for  nothing;  that  Arab  horses 
were  sold  for  a  hundred  sous,  but  that  nobody  would 
have  them,  horses'  provender  selling  at  an  exorbi- 
tant price;  that  these  poor  beasts  were  eating  one 
another — they  devoured  each  other's  hair  to  the 
quick,  and  even  gnawed  the  bark  off  trees  to  which 
they  were  tied;  that  our  captive  soldiers  dropped 
down  with  hunger  in  the  ditches  by  the  roadside, 
and  then  the  Prussians  abused  them  for  drunkards. 
We  heard,  also,  that  the  inhabitants  of  Metz,  on 
hearing  the  terms  of  capitulation,  had  meant  to  rise 
and  put  Bazaine  to  death,  but  that  all  through  the 
siege  three  mitrailleuses  had  been  placed  in  front  of 
his  head-quarters,  and  that  he  had  escaped  the  day 
before  this  shameful  capitulation  was  to  take  place. 

All  this  appeared  to  us  almost  impossible.  Metz 
surrender  unconditionally!  Metz,  the  strongest 
town  in  France,  defended  by  an  army  of  a  hundred 
thousand  well-seasoned  troops:  the  last  army  left 
to  us  after  Sedan! 

But  it  was  true,  nevertheless! 

And  in  spite  of  all  that  can  be  said  of  the  ig- 
norance and  the  folly  of  the  chiefs,  to  account  for 
this  terrible  disaster,  I  cannot  but  believe  that  our 
honest  man  gave  his  orders  to  the  very  last;  that 
Bazaine  obeyed,  and  that  they  did  everything  to- 
gether. Besides,  Bazaine  went  to  join  him  imme- 


STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 


243 


diately  at  Wilhelmshohe,  where  the  cuisine  was  so 
excellent;  there  they  reposed  after  their  toils,  until 
the  opportunity  should  return  of  recommencing  a 
campaign  after  the  fashion  of  the  2d  of  December, 
in  which  men  were  entrapped  by  night  in  their  beds, 
while  they  were  relying  upon  the  honest  man's 
oath ;  or  in  the  style  of  the  Mexican  war,  where  he 
ran  away,  deserting  the  men  he  had  sworn  to  de- 
fend !  In  this  sort  of  campaign,  and  if  the  people 
continue  to  have  confidence  in  such  men,  as  many 
assert  will  happen,  they  may  begin  again  some  fine 
morning,  and  once  more  get  hold  of  the  keys  of  the 
treasury;  they  will  once  more  distribute  crosses, 
and  salaries,  and  pensions  to  their  friends  and  ac- 
quaintances; and  in  a  few  years  Bismarck  will  dis- 
cover that  the  Germans  possess  claims  upon  Cham- 
pagne and  Burgundy. 

Well,  everything  is  possible ;  we  have  seen  such, 
strange  things  these  last  twenty  years. 

At  Fenctrange,  through  which  we  passed  about 
two  o'clock,  nothing  was  known. 

At  six  in  the  evening  we  arrived  upon  the  pla- 
teau of  Metting,  near  the  farm  called  Donat,  and 
saw  in  the  dim  distance,  two  leagues  from  us,  Phals- 
bourg,  without  its  ramparts,  and  its  demilunes;  its 
church  and  its  streets  in  ashes!  The  Germans  were 
hidden  by  the  undulations  of  the  surrounding  coun- 
try, their  cannon  were  on  the  hill-sides,  and  sentinels 
were  posted  behind  the  quarries. 

There  was  deep  silence:  not  a  shot  was  heard: 


244  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

it  was  the  blockade!  Famine  was  doing  quietly 
what  the  bombardment  had  been  unable  to  effect. 

Then,  with  heads  bowed  down,  we  passed  through 
the  little  wood  on  our  left,  full  of  dead  leaves,  and 
we  saw  our  little  village  of  Rothalp,  three  hundred 
paces  behind  the  orchards  and  the  fields;  it  looked 
dead  too :  ruin  had  passed  over  it — the  requisitions 
had  utterly  exhausted  it;  winter,  with  its  snow  and 
ice,  was  waiting  at  every  door. 

The  mill  was  working;  which  astonished  me. 

George  and  I,  without  speaking,  clasped  each 
other's  hands;  then  he  strode  toward  his  house, 
and  I  passed  rapidly  to  mine,  with  a  full  heart. 

Prussian  soldiers  were  unloading  a  wagon-load 
of  corn  under  my  shed;  fear  laid  hold  of  me,  and 
I  thought,  "  Have  the  wretches  driven  away  my 
wife  and  daughter? " 

Happily  Catherine  appeared  at  the  door  directly; 
she  had  seen  me  coming,  and  extended  her  arms, 
crying,  "  Is  it  you,  Christian?  Oh!  what  we  have 
suffered!  " 

She  hung  upon  my  neck,  crying  and  sobbing. 
Then  came  Gredel;  we  all  clung  together,  crying 
like  children. 

The  Prussians,  ten  paces  off,  stared  at  us.  A 
few  neighbors  were  crying,  "  Here  is  tne  old  mayor 
come  back  again !  " 

At  last  we  entered  our  little  room.  I  sat  facing 
the  bed,  gazing  at  the  old  bed-curtains,  the  branch 
of  box-tree  at  the  end  of  the  alcove,  the  old  walls, 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  245 

the  old  beams  across  the  ceiling,  the  little  window- 
panes,  and  my  good  wife  and  my  wayward  daugh- 
ter, whom  I  love.  Everything  seemed  to  me  so 
nice.  I  said  to  myself,  "  We  are  not  all  dead  yet. 
Ah !  if  now  I  could  but  see  Jacob,  I  should  be  quite 
happy." 

My  wife,  with  her  face  buried  in  her  apron  be- 
tween her  knees,  never  ceased  sobbing,  and  Gredel, 
standing  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  was  looking 
upon  us.  At  last  she  asked  me :  "  And  the  horses, 
and  the  carts,  where  are  they  ?  " 

"  Down  there,  somewhere  near  Montmedy." 

"And  Cousin  George?" 

"  He  is  with  Marie  Anne.  "We  have  had  to 
abandon  everything — we  escaped  together — v/e 
were  so  wretched!  The  Germans  would  have  let 
us  die  with  hunger." 

"  What!  have  they  ill-used  you,  father?  " 

"  Yes,  they  have  beaten  me." 

"Beaten  you?" 

"  Yes,  they  tore  my  beard — they  struck  me  in 
the  face." 

Gredel,  hearing  this,  went  almost  beside  herself; 
she  threw  a  window  open,  and  shaking  her  fist  at  the 
Germans  outside,  she  screamed  to  them,  "  Ah,  you 
brigands!  You  have  beaten  my  father — the  best 
of  men !  " 

Then  she  burst  into  tears,  and  came  up  to  kiss 
me,  saying,  "  They  shall  be  paid  out  for  all  thatl  " 
I  felt  moved. 


846  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

My  wife,  having  become  calmer,  began  to  tell 
me  all  they  had  suffered:  their  grief  at  receiving 
no  news  of  us  since  the  third  day  after  the  pas- 
sage of  the  pedler;  then  the  appointment  of  Placi- 
ard  in  my  place,  and  the  load  of  requisitions  he  had 
laid  upon  us,  saying  that  I  was  a  Jacobin. 

He  associated  with  none  but  Germans  now;  he 
received  them  in  his  house,  shook  hands  with  them, 
invited  them  to  dinner,  and  spoke  nothing  but  Prus- 
sian German.  He  was  now  just  as  good  a  servant 
of  King  William  as  he  had  been  of  the  Empire, 
instead  of  writing  letters  to  Paris  to  get  stamp- 
offices  and  tobacco-excise-offices,  he  now  wrote  to 
Bismarck-Bohlen,  and  already  the  good  man  had 
received  large  promises  of  advancement  for  his  sons, 
and  son-in-law.  He  himself  was  to  be  made  super- 
intendent of  something  or  other,  at  a  good  salary. 

I  listened  without  surprise;  I  was  sure  of  this 
beforehand. 

One  thing  gave  me  great  pleasure,  which  was 
to  see  the  mill-dam  full  of  water:  so  the  chest  was 
still  at  the  bottom.  And  Gredel  having  left  the 
room  to  get  supper,  that  was  the  first  thing  I  asked 
Catherine. 

She  answered  that  nothing  had  been  disturbed: 
that  the  water  had  never  sunk  an  inch.  Then  I 
felt  easy  in  my  mind,  and  thanked  God  for  having 
tiaved  us  from  utter  ruin. 

The  Germans  had  been  making  their  own  bread 
for  the  last  fortnight;  they  used  to  come  and  grind 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  247 

at  my  mill,  without  paying  a  Hard.  How  to  get 
tli rough  our  trouble  seemed  impossible  to  find  out. 
There  was  nothing  left  to  eat.  Happily  the  Land- 
wehr  had  quickly  become  used  to  our  white  bread, 
and,  to  get  it,  they  willingly  gave  up  a  portion  of 
their  enormous  rations  of  meat.  They  would  also 
exchange  fat  sheep  for  chickens  and  geese,  being 
tired  of  always  eating  joints  of  mutton,  and  Cath- 
erine had  driven  many  a  good  bargain  with  them. 
We  had,  indeed,  one  cow  left  in  the  Krapenfelz, 
but  we  had  to  carry  her  fodder  every  day  among 
these  rocks,  to  milk  her,  and  come  back  laden. 

Gredel,  ever  bolder  and  bolder,  went  herself. 
She  kept  a  hatchet  under  her  arm,  and  she  told 
me  smiling  that  one  of  those  drunken  Germans 
having  insulted  her,  and  threatened  to  follow  her 
into  the  wood,  she  had  felled  him  with  one  blow 
of  her  hatchet,  and  rolled  his  body  into  the  stream. 

Nothing  frightened  her:  the  Landwchr  who 
lodged  with  us — big,  bearded  men — dreaded  her 
like  fire;  she  ordered  them  about  as  if  they  were  her 
servants:  "Do  this!  do  that!  Grease  me  those 
shoes,  but  don't  eat  the  grease,  like  your  fellows  at 
Metting;  if  you  do,  it  will  be  the  worse  for  you! 
Go  fetch  water!  You  sha'n't  go  into  the  store-room 
straight  out  of  the  stable!  your  smell  is  already  bad 
enough  without  horse-dung!  You  are  every  one  of 
you  as  dirty  as  beggars,  and  yet  there  is  no  want  of 
water:  go  and  wash  at  the  pump."  , 

And  they  obediently  went. 


248  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

She  had  forbidden  them  to  go  upstairs,  telling 
them,  "  /  live  up  there !  that's  my  room.  The  first 
man  who  dares  put  his  foot  there,  I  will  split  his 
head  open  with  my  hatchet." 

And  not  a  man  dared  disobey. 

Those  people,  from  the  time  they  had  set  over  us 
their  governor  Bismarck-Bohlen,  had  no  doubt  re- 
ceived orders  to  be  careful  with  us,  to  treat  us  kind- 
ly, to  promise  us  indemnities.  Captain  Floegel 
went  on  drinking  from  morning  till  night,  from 
night  till  morning;  but  instead  of  calling  us  rascals, 
wretches!  he  called  us  "  his  good  Germans,  his  dear 
Alsacian  and  Lorraine  brothers,"  promising  us  all 
the  prosperity  in  the  world,  as  soon  as  we  should 
have  the  happiness  of  living  under  the  old  laws  of 
Fatherland. 

They  were  already  talking  of  dismissing  all 
French  school-masters,  and  then  we  began  to  see  the 
abominable  carelessness  of  our  government  in  the 
matter  of  public  education.  Half  of  our  unhappy 
peasants  did  not  know  a  word  of  French:  for  two 
hundred  years  they  had  been  left  grovelling  in  ig- 
norance ! 

"Now  the  Germans  have  laid  hands  upon  us,  and 
are  telling  them  that  the  French  are  enemies  of  their 
race;  that  they  have  kept  them  in  bondage  to  get 
all  they  could  out  of  them,  to  live  at  their  cost,  and 
to  use  their  bodies  for  their  own  protection  in  time 
of  danger.  "Who  can  say  it  is  not  so?  Are  not  all 
appearances  against  us?  And  if  the  Germans  be- 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  249 

stow  on  the  peasants  the  education  which  all  our 
governments  have  denied  them,  will  not  these  people 
have  reason  to  attach  themselves  to  their  new  coun- 
try? 

The  Germans  having  altered  their  bearing  toward 
us,  and  seeking  to  win  us  over,  lodged  in  our  houses. 
They  were  Landwehr,  who  thought  only  of  their 
wives  and  children,  wishing  for  the  end  of  the  war, 
and  much  fearing  the  appearance  of  the  francs- 
tireurs. 

The  arrival  of  Garibaldi  in  the  Yosges  with  his 
two  sons  was  announced,  and  often  George,  pointing 
from  his  door  at  the  summit  of  the  Donon  and  the 
Sclmeeberg,  already  white  with  snow,  would  say: 
"  There  is  fighting  going  on  down  there  !  Ah, 
Christian,  if  we  were  young  again,  what  a  fine  blow 
we  might  deliver  in  our  mountain  passes!  " 

Our  greatest  sorrow  was  to  know  that  famine  was 
prevailing  in  the  town,  as  well  as  small-pox.  More 
than  three  hundred  sick,  out  of  fifteen  hundred  in- 
habitants, were  filling  the  College,  where  the  hos- 
pital had  been  established.  There  was  no  salt,  no 
tobacco,  no  meat.  The  flags  of  truce  which  were 
continually  coming  and  going  on  the  road  to  Liitzel- 
bourg,  reported  that  the  place  could  not  hold  out 
any  longer. 

There  had  been  a  talk  of  bringing  heavy  guns 
from  Strasbourg  and  from  Metz,  after  the  surrender 
of  these  two  places;  but  I  remember  that  the  Haupt- 
mann  who  was  lodging  with  the  cure,  M.  Daniel, 


250  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

declared  that  it  was  not  worth  while;  that  a  fresh 
bombardment  would  cost  his  Majesty  King  Will- 
iam at  least  three  millions;  and  that  the  best  way  was 
to  let  these  people  die  their  noble  death  quietly,  like 
a  lamp  going  out  for  want  of  oil.  With  these  words 
the  Hauptmann  put  on  airs  of  humanity,  continu- 
ally repeating  that  we  ought  to  save  human  life,  and 
economize  ammunition. 

And  what  had  become  of  Jacob  in  the  midst  of 
this  misery?  And  Jean  Baptiste  Werner?  I  am 
obliged  to  mention  him  too,  for  God  knows  what 
madness  was  possessing  Gredel  at  the  thought  that 
he  might  be  suffering  hunger :  she  was  no  longer  hu- 
man; she  was  a  mad  creature  without  control  over 
herself,  and  she  often  made  me  wonder  at  the  meek 
patience  of  the  Landwehr.  When  one  or  another 
wanted  to  ask  her  for  anything,  she  would  show  them 
the  door,  crying:  "  Go  out;  this  is  not  your  place!  " 

She  even  openly  wished  them  all  to  be  massacred; 
and  then  she  would  say  to  them,  in  mockery:  "  Go, 
then!  attack  the  town!  ...  go  and  storm  the 
place!  .  .  .  You  don't  dare!  .  .  .  You  are  afraid 
for  your  skin !  You  had  rather  starve  people,  bom- 
bard women  and  children,  burn  the  houses  of  poor 
creatures,  hiding  yourselves  behind  your  heaps  of 
clay !  You  must  be  cowards  to  set  to  work  that  way. 
If  ours  were  out,  and  you  were  in,  they  would  have 
been  a  dozen  times  upon  the  walls:  but  you  are 
afraid  of  getting  your  ribs  stove  in!  You  are  pru- 
dent men! " 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  251 

And  they,  seated  at  our  door,  with  their  heads 
hanging  down,  spoke  not  a  word,  but  went  on  smok- 
ing, as  if  they  did  not  hear. 

Yet  one  day  these  peaceable  men  showed  a  con- 
siderable amount  of  indignation,  not  against  Gredel 
or  us,  but  against  their  own  generals. 

It  was  some  time  after  the  capture  of  Metz.  The 
cold  weather  had  set  in.  Our  Landwehr  returning 
from  mounting  guard  were  squeezed  around  the 
stove,  and  outside  lay  the  first  fall  of  snow.  And  as 
they  were  sitting  thus,  thinking  of  nothing  but  eat- 
ing and  drinking,  the  bugle  blew  outside  a  long 
blast  and  a  loud  one,  the  echoes  of  which  died  far 
away  in  the  distant  mountains. 

An  order  had  arrived  to  buckle  on  their  knap- 
sacks, shoulder  their  rifles,  and  march  for  Orleans  at 
once. 

You  should  have  seen  the  long,  dismal  faces  of 
these  fellows.  You  should  have  heard  them  pro- 
testing that  they  were  Landwehr,  and  could  not  be 
made  to  leave  German  provinces.  I  believe  that  if 
there  had  been  at  that  moment  a  sortie  of  fifty  men 
from  Phalsbourg,  they  would  have  given  them- 
selves up  prisoners,  every  one,  to  remain  where  they 
were. 

But  Captain  Ploogel,  with  his  red  nose  and  his 
harsh  voice,  had  come  to  give  the  word  of  command, 
"Fall  in!" 

They  had  to  obey.  So  there  they  stood  in  line 
before  our  mill,  three  or  four  hundred  of  them,  and 


STORY  OF  THE  PLEBISCITE 

were  then  obliged  to  march  up  the  hill  to  Mittel- 
bronn,  whilst  the  villagers,  from  their  windows, 
were  crying,  "  A  good  riddance !  " 

It  was  supposed,  too,  that  the  blockade  of  Phals- 
bourg  would  be  raised,  and  everybody  was  prepar- 
ing baskets,  bags,  and  all  things  needful  to  carry 
victuals  to  our  poor  lads.  Gredel,  who  was  most 
unceremonious,  had  her  own  private  basket  to  carry. 
It  was  quite  a  grand  removal. 

But  where  did  this  order  to  march  come  from? 
What  was  the  meaning  of  it  all? 

I  was  standing  at  our  door,  meditating  upon  this, 
when  Cousin  Marie  Anne  came  up,  whispering  to 
me,  "  We  have  won  a  great  battle :  all  the  men  at 
Metz  are  running  to  the  Loire." 

"  How  do  you  know  that,  cousin?  * 

"  From  an  Englishman  who  came  to  our  house 
last  night." 

"  And  where  has  this  battle  taken  place?  " 

"  Wait  a  moment,"  said  she.  '*  At  Coulmiers, 
near  Orleans.  The  Germans  are  in  full  retreat; 
their  officers  are  taking  refuge  in  the  mayoralty- 
office  with  their  men,  to  escape  being  slaughtered." 

I  asked  no  more  questions,  and  I  ran  to  Cousin 
George's,  very  curious  to  see  this  Englishman  and 

hear  what  he  might  have  to  tell  us. 
xAs  I  went  in,  my  cousin  was  seated  at  the  table 
with  this  foreigner.     They  had  just  breakfasted, 
and  they  seemed  very  jolly  together.     Marie  Anne 
followed  me, 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  253 

"  Here  is  my  cousin,  tlie  former  major  of  this 
village,"  said  George,  seeing  me  open  the  door. 

Immediately  the  Englishman  turned  round.  He 
was  a  young  man  of  about  five  and  thirty,  tall  and 
thin,  with  a  hooked  nose,  hazel  eyes  full  of  anima- 
tion, clean  shaved,  and  buttoned  up  close  in  a  long 
gray  surtout. 

"  Ah,  very  good !  "  said  he,  speaking  a  little 
nasally,  and  with  his  teeth  close,  as  is  the  habit  of 
his  countrymen.  "  Monsieur  was  mayor?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  And  you  refused  to  post  the  proclamations  of 
the  Governor,  Bismarck-Bohlen ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Very  good — very  good." 

I  sat  down,  and,  without  any  preamble,  this  Eng- 
lishman ran  on  with  eight  or  ten  questions :  upon  the 
requisitions,  the  pillaging,  the  number  of  carriages 
and  horses  carried  away  into  the  interior ;  how  many 
had  come  back  since  the  invasion;  how  many  were 
still  left  in  France;  what  we  thought  of  the  Ger- 
mans: if  there  was  any  chance  of  our  agreeing  to- 
gether: had  we  rather  remain  French,  or  become 
neutral,  like  the  Swiss. 

He  had  all  these  questions  in  his  head,  and  I  went 
on  answering,  without  reflecting  that  it  was  a  very 
strange  thing  to  interrogate  people  in  this  way. 

George  was  laughing,  and,  when  it  was  over,  he 
Baid,  "  Now,  my  lord,  you  may  go  on  with  your 
article." 


254  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

The  Englishman  smiled,  and  said,  "  Yes,  that 
will  do !  I  believe  you  have  spoken  the  truth." 

We  drank  a  glass  of  wine  together,  which  George 
had  found  somewhere. 

"  This  is  good  wine,"  said  the  Englishman.  "  So 
the  Prussians  have  not  taken  everything." 

"  ]STo,  they  have  not  discovered  everything;  we 
have  a  few  good  hiding-places  yet." 

"  Ah !    exactly  so — yes — I  understand." 

George  wanted  to  question  him  too,  but  the  Eng- 
lishman did  not  answer  as  fast  as  we;  he  thought 
well  over  his  answers,  before  he  would  say  yes  or  no! 

It  was  not  from  him  that  Cousin  George  had 
learned  the  latest  intelligence ;  it  was  from  a  heap  of 
newspapers  which  the  Englishman  had  left  upon  the 
table  the  night  before  as  he  went  to  bed — English 
and  Belgian  newspapers — which  George  had  read 
hastily  up  to  midnight:  for  he  had  learned  English 
in  his  travels,  which  our  friend  was  not  aware  of. 

Besides  the  battle  of  Coulmiers,  he  had  learned 
many  other  things:  the  organization  of  an  army  in 
the  Xorth  under  General  Bourbaki;  the  march  of 
the  Germans  upon  Dijon;  the  insurrection  at  Mar- 
seilles; the  noble  declaration  of  Gambetta  against 
those  who  were  accusing  him  of  throwing  the  blame 
of  our  disasters  upon  the  army,  and  not  upon  its 
chiefs;  and  especially  the  declaration  of  Prince 
Gortschakoff  "  that  the  Emperor  of  Russia  refused 
to  be  bound  any  longer  by  the  treaty  which  was  to 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  255 

restrain  him  from  keeping  in  the  Black  Sea  more 
than  a  certain  number  of  large  ships  of  war." 

The  Englishman  had  marked  red  crosses  down 
this  article ;  and  George  told  me  by  and  by  that  these 
red  crosses  meant  something  very  serious. 

The  Englishman  had  a  very  fine  horse  in  the 
stable;  we  went  out  together  to  see  it;  it  was  a  tall 
chestnut,  able  no  doubt  to  run  like  a  deer. 

If  I  tell  you  these  particulars,  it  is  because  we 
have  since  seen  many  more  English  people,  both 
men  and  women,  all  very  inquisitive,  and  who  put 
questions  to  us,  just  like  this  one;  whether  to  write 
articles,  or  for  their  own  information,  I  know  not. 

George  assured  me  that  the  article  writers  spared 
no  expense  to  earn  their  pay  honorably;  that  they 
went  great  distances — hundreds  of  leagues — going 
to  the  fountain-head;  that  they  would  have  consid- 
ered themselves  guilty  of  robbing  their  fellow-coun- 
trymen, if  they  invented  anything:  which,  besides, 
would  very  soon  be  discovered,  and  would  deprive 
them  of  all  credit  in  England. 

I  believe  it;  and  I  only  wish  news-hunters  of 
equal  integrity  for  our  country.  Instead  of  having 
newspapers  full  of  long  arguments,  which  float  be- 
fore you  like  clouds,  and  out  of  which  no  one  can 
extract  the  least  profit,  we  should  get  positive  facts 
that  would  help  us  to  clear  up  our  ideas:  of  whicr. 
we  are  in  great  need. 

So  we  thought  we  were  rid  of  our  Landwehr, 


256  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

when  presently  they  returned,  having  received  coun- 
ter orders,  which  seemed  to  us  a  very  bad  sign. 

George,  who  had  just  accompanied  his  English- 
man back  to  Sarrebourg,  came  into  our  house,  and 
sat  by  the  stove,  deep  in  thought.  He  had  never 
seemed  to  me  so  sad;  when  I  asked  him  if  he  had 
received  any  bad  news,  he  answered :  "  No,  I  have 
heard  nothing  new;  but  what  has  happened  shows 
plainly  that  the  German  army  of  Metz  has  arrived 
in  time  to  prevent  our  troops  from  raising  the  block- 
ade of  Paris  after  the  victory  of  Coulmiers." 

And  all  at  once  his  anger  broke  out  against  the 
Dumouriez  and  the  Pichegrus,  men  without  genius, 
who  were  selling  their  country  to  serve  a  false 
dynasty. 

"  A  week  or  a  fortnight  more,  and  we  should  have 
been  saved." 

He  smote  the  table  with  his  fist,  and  seemed  ready 
to  cry.  All  at  once  he  went  out,  unable  to  contain 
himself  any  longer,  and  we  saw  him  in  the  moon- 
light cross  the  meadow  behind  and  disappear  into 
his  house. 

It  was  the  middle  of  November;  the  frost  grew 
more  intense  and  hardened  the  ground  everywhere: 
every  morning  the  trees  were  covered  with  hoar- 
frost. 

We  were  now  compelled  to  do  forced  labor;  not 
only  to  supply  wood,  but  also  to  go  and  cleave  it  for 
the  Landwehr.  I  paid  Father  Offran,  who  supplied 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  257 

my  place;  it  was  an  additional  expense,  and  the  day 
of  ruin,  utter  ruin,  was  drawing  close. 

Of  course  the  Landwehr,  offended  at  having  been 
hissed  all  through  the  village,  had  lost  all  considera- 
tion for  us,  and  but  for  stringent  orders,  they  would 
have  wrung  our  necks  on  the  spot;  every  time  they 
were  able  to  tell  us  a  piece  of  bad  news,  they  would 
come  up  laughing,  dropping  the  butt-ends  of  their 
rifles  on  the  stone  floor,  and  crying:  "  Well,  now, 
here's  another  crash !  There  goes  another  stampede 
of  Frenchmen!  Orleans  evacuated!  Champigny 
to  be  abandoned!  Capital!  all  goes  on  right! 
Now,  then,  you  people,  is  that  soup  ready?  Hurry ! 
good  news  like  these  give  one  a  good  appetite !  " 

"  Try  to  hold  your  tongues,  if  you  can,  pacl:  of 
beggars,"  cried  Gredel;  "  we  don't  believe  your 
lies." 

Then  they  grinned  again,  and  said :  "  There  is  no 
need  you  should  believe  us,  if  only  you  get  put  into 
our  basket;  when  you  are  there  you  will  believe! 
Then  look  out !  If  you  stir  a  finger  we'll  nail  you 
to  the  wall  like  mangy  cats.  Aha!  did  you  laugh 
and  hiss  when  you  saw  us  going?  but  there  are  more 
yet  to  come.  You  will  regret  us,  Mademoiselle  Gre- 
del ;  you  will  regret  us  some  day ;  you  will  cry,  '  if 
we  had  but  our  good  Landwehr  again! '  but  it  will 
be  too  late." 

What  surprises  me  is  that  Gredel  never  seems  to 
have  thought  of  poisoning  them;  luckily  it  was  not 
the  time  of  the  year  for  the  red  toadstools:  besides, 

17 


258  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

we  were  obliged  to  boil  our  soup  in  the  same  kettle; 
or  these  wary  people  would  have  had  their  suspi- 
cions, and  obliged  us  to  taste  their  meat,  as  they  did 
at  the  Quatre  Vents,  the  Baraques  du  Bois  de 
Chenes,  and  in  several  other  places. 

They  then  drew  their  lines  closer  and  closer 
round  the  place :  upon  all  the  roads  which  led  to  the 
advanced  posts  they  placed  guns,  and  watched  by 
them  day  and  night ;  they  regulated  their  range  and 
line  of  fire  by  day  with  pickets  and  with  grooves  cut 
in  the  ground,  to  enable'  them  to  change  its  direc- 
tion and  sweep  the  roads  and  paths,  even  in  the  dark 
nights,  in  case  of  an  attack. 

The  snow  was  then  falling  in  great  flakes;  all  the 
country  was  covered  with  snow,  and  often  at  mid- 
night or  at  one  or  two  in  the  morning,  the  musketry 
opened,  and  they  cried  in  the  street :  "  A  sortie !  a 
sortie!  " 

And  all  the  villagers,  who  still  kept  their  cattle  at 
home  by  order  of  the  new  mayor  Placiard,  were 
compelled  to  drive  them  to  a  distance,  into  the  fields, 
to  prevent  the  French,  if  they  reached  us,  from 
finding  anything  in  the  stables. 

Ah!  that  abominable,  good-for-nothing  scoun- 
drel Placiard,  that  famous  pillar  of  the  Empire, 
what  abominations  he  has  perpetrated,  what  toils 
has  he  undergone  to  merit  the  esteem  of  the  Prus- 
sians ! 

Does  it  not  seem  sad  that  such  thieves  should 
sometimes  quietly  terminate  their  existence  in  a 
good  bed? 


CHAPTER 

ABOUT  the  end  of  November  there  happened  an 
extraordinary  thing,  of  which  I  must  give  you  an 
account. 

On  the  first  fall  of  snow,  our  Landwehr  had  built 
on  the  hill,  in  the  rear  of  their  guns,  huts  of  consid- 
erable size,  covered  with  earth,  open  to  the  south  and 
closed  against  the  north  wind.  Under  these  they 
lighted  great  fires,  and  every  hour  relieved  guard. 

They  had  also  received  from  home  immense  pack- 
ages of  warm  clothing,  blankets,  cloaks,  shirts,  and 
woollen  stockings;  they  called  these  love-gifts. 
Captain  Floegel  distributed  these  to  his  men,  at  his 
discretion. 

Now,  it  happened  that  one  night,  when  the  Land- 
wchr  lodging  with  us  were  on  guard,  that  I,  know- 
ing they  would  not  return  before  day,  had  gone 
down  to  shut  the  back  door  which  opens  upon  the 
fields.  The  moon  had  set,  but  the  snow  was  shin- 
ing white,  streaked  with  the  dark  shadows  of  the 
trees;  and  just  as  I  was  going  to  lock  up,  what  do  I 
see  in  my  orchard  behind  the  large  pear-tree  on  the 
left?  A  Turco  with  his  little  red  cap  over  his  ear, 
his  blue  jacket  corded  and  braided  all  over,  his  belt 
259 


260  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

and  his  gaiters.  There  he  was,  leaning  in  the  atti- 
tude of  attention,  the  butt-end  of  his  rifle  resting  on 
the  ground,  his  eyes  glowing  like  those  of  a  cat. 

He  heard  the  door  open,  and  turned  abruptly 
round. 

Then,  glad  to  see  one  of  our  own  men  again,  I 
felt  my  heart  beat,  and  gazing  stealthily  round  for 
fear  of  the  neighbors,  I  signed  to  him  to  draw  near. 

All  were  asleep  in  the  village;  no  lights  were 
shining  at  the  windows. 

He  came  down  in  four  or  five  paces,  clearing  the 
fences  at  a  bound,  and  entered  the  mill. 

Immediately  I  closed  the  door  again,  and  said  : 
"Good  Frenchman?" 

He  pressed  my  hand  in  the  dark,  and  followed  me 
into  the  back  room,  where  my  wife  and  Gredel  were 
still  sitting  up. 

Imagine  their  astonishment! 

"  Here  is  a  man  from  the  town,"  I  said:  "  he's  a 
real  Turco.  We  shall  hear  news." 

At  the  same  moment  we  observed  that  the  Turco's 
bayonet  was  red,  even  to  the  shank,  and  that  the 
blood  had  even  run  down  the  barrel  of  his  rifle;  but 
we  said  nothing. 

This  Turco  was  a  fine  man,  dark  brown,  with  a 
little  curly  beard,  black  eyes,  and  white  teeth,  just 
as  the  apostles  are  painted.  I  have  never  seen  a 
finer  man. 

He  was  not  sorry  to  feel  the  warmth  of  a  good 
fire.  Gredel  having  made  room  for  him,  he  took  a 


STORY   OF  THE  PLEBISCITE  261 

seat,  thanking  her  with  a  nod  of  his  head,  and  re- 
peating: "  Good  Frenchman!  " 

I  asked  him  if  he  was  hungry;  he  said  yes;  and 
my  wife  immediately  arent  to  fetch  him  a  large 
basin  of  soup,  which  he  enjoyed  greatly.  She  gave 
him  also  a  good  slice  of  bread  and  of  beef;  but  in- 
stead of  eating  it  he  dropped  it  into  his  bag,  asking 
us  for  salt  and  tobacco. 

He  spoke  as  these  people  all  do — thou-ing  us. 
He  even  wanted  to  kiss  Gredel's  hand.  She 
blushed,  and  asked  him,  without  any  ceremony,  be- 
fore our  faces,  if  he  knew  Jean  Baptiste  Werner? 

"  Jean  Baptiste!  "  said  he.  "  Bastion  No.  3 — 
formerly  African  gunner.  Yes,  1  know  him. 
Goodman!  brave  Frenchman  1" 

"  He  is  not  wounded?  " 

"  No." 

"  Not  ill?  " 

"  No." 

Then  Gredel  began  to  cry  in  her  apron;  and 
mother  asked  the  Turco  if  he  knew  Jacob  Weber,  of 
the  3d  company  of  Mobiles;  but  the  Turco  did  not 
know  our  Jacob;  he  could  only  tell  us  that  the 
Mobiles  had  lost  very  few  men,  which  comforted 
my  wife  and  me.  Then  he  told  us  that  a  captain  in 
the  Garde  Mobile,  a  Jew  named  Cerfber,  sent  as  a 
flag  of  truce  to  Liitzelbourg,  had  taken  the  oppor- 
tunity to  desert,  and  that  the  German  general,  be- 
ing disgusted  at  his  baseness,  had  refused  to  receive 
him,  upon  which  the  wretch  had  gone  into  Ger* 


262  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

many.  I  was  nowise  surprised  at  this.  I  knew 
Cerfber;  he  was  mayor  of  ISaederwillen,  at  four 
leagues  from  us,  and  more  Bonapartist  than  Bona- 
parte himself.  Unable  to  surrender  the  rest,  as  his 
master  had  done  at  Sedan,  he  had  surrendered  him- 
self. 

Gredel  had  gone  out  while  the  Turco  was  telling 
us  these  news;  she  returned  presently  with  a  large 
quantity  of  provisions.  She  had  taken  all  my  to- 
bacco, and  begged  the  Turco  to  take  it  to  Jean  Bap- 
tiste  and  Jacob.  She  had  not  quite  the  face  to  say 
before  me  that  it  was  for  Jean  Baptiste  alone;  that 
would  have  been  going  a  little  too  far;  but  she  said, 
"  It  is  for  the  two."  The  Turco  promised  to  per- 
form this  commission ;  then  Gredel  gave  him  several 
things  for  himself;  but  he  wanted  especially  salt, 
and  fortunately  we  possessed  enough  to  fill  his  bag. 
My  wife  stood  sentinel  in  the  passage.  Thank  God 
there  was  no  stir  for  a  whole  hour;  during  which 
this  Turco  answered,  as  well  as  he  was  able,  all  the 
questions  we  asked  him. 

We  understood  that  there  was  much  sickness  in 
the  town;  that  several  articles  of  consumption  were 
utterly  exhausted,  among  others,  meat,  salt,  and  to- 
bacco; and  that  the  inhabitants  were  weary  of  being 
shut  in  without  any  news  from  outside. 

About  one  in  the  morning,  the  wind,  having 
risen,  was  shaking  the  door,  and  we  fancied  we  could 
hear  the  Landwehr  returning.  The  Turco  noticed 
it,  and  made  signs  to  us  that  he  would  go. 


THEHE  IIB  WAS,   LEANING  FORWABH  TO  LISTEN. 


STORY   OF1  THE   PLEBISCITE  263 

"We  could  have  wished  to  detain  him,  but  the 
danger  was  too  great.  He  therefore  took  up  his 
rifle  again,  and  asked  to  kiss  ray  wife's  hand,  just  as 
the  gypsies  do  in  our  country.  Then  pointing  to  his 
bag,  he  said:  "  For  Jacob  and  Jean  Baptiste!  " 

I  took  him  back  through  the  orchard.  The 
weather  was  frightful;  the  air  was  full  of  snow, 
whirled  into  drifts  by  a  stormy  wind;  but  he  knew 
his  way,  and  began  by  running  with  his  body  bend- 
ing low  as  far  as  the  tall  hedge  on  the  left ;  a  moment 
after  he  was  out  of  sight.  I  listened  a  long  while. 
The  watch-fires  of  the  Landwehr  were  shining  on 
the  hill,  above  Wechem ;  their  sentinels  were  chal- 
lenging and  answering  each  other  in  the  darkness; 
but  not  a  shot  was  fired. 

I  returned.  My  wife  and  Gredel  seemed  happy; 
and  we  all  went  to  bed. 

Next  day  we  learned  that  two  Landwehr  had  been 
found  killed — one  near  the  Avenue  des  Dames,  be- 
tween the  town  and  the  Quatre  Vents,  the  other  at 
the  end  of  Piquet,  both  fathers  of  families.  The 
unfortunate  men  had  been  surprised  at  their  posts. 

"What  a  miserable  thing  is  war!  The  Germans 
have  lost  more  men  than  we  have;  but  we  will  not 
be  so  cruel  as  to  rejoice  over  this. 

And  now,  if  I  am  asked  my  opinion  about  the 
Turcos,  against  whom  the  Germans  have  raised  such 
an  outcry,  I  answer  that  they  are  good  men  and  true ! 
Jacob  and  Jean  Baptiste  have  received  everything 


264  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

that  we  sent  to  them.  This  Turco's  word  was  worth 
more  than  that  of  the  lieutenant  and  the  f  eld-weibel 
who  had  promised  to  pay  me  for  my  wine. 

No  doubt,  amongst  the  Turcos  there  are  some  bad 
fellows;  but  the  greater  part  are  honest  men,  with  a 
strong  feeling  of  religion:  men  who  have  known 
them  at  Phalsbourg  and  elsewhere  acknowledge 
them  to  be  men  of  honor.  They  have  stolen  noth- 
ing, robbed  nobody,  never  insulted  a  woman.  If 
they  had  campaigned  on  the  other  side  of  the  Rhine, 
of  course  they  would  have  twisted  the  necks  of  ducks 
and  hens,  as  all  soldiers  do  in  an  enemy's  country: 
the  Landwehr  put  no  constraint  upon  themselves  in 
our  country.  But  the  idea  would  never  have  oc- 
curred to  the  Turcos,  as  it  had  to  German  officers  and 
generals,  of  sending  for  packs  of  Jews  to  follow  them 
and  buy  up,  wholesale,  the  linen,  furniture,  clocks 
• — in  a  word,  anything  they  found  in  private  indi- 
viduals' houses.  This  is  simple  truth!  Monsieur 
do  Bismarck  may  insult  the  Turcos  as  much  as  he 
pleases  before  his  German  Parliament,  which  is 
ready  to  say  "  Amen  "  every  time  he  opens  his 
mouth.  He  might  as  well  not  talk  at  all.  Thieves 
are  bad  judges  of  common  honesty!  I  am  aware 
that  Monsieur  le  Prince  de  Bismarck  thinks  himself 
the  first  politician  in  the  world,  because  he  has  de- 
ceived a  simpleton;  but  there  is  a  wide  difference 
between  a  great  man  and  a  great  dishonest  man. 
By  and  by  this  will  be  manifest,  to  the  great  mi<*- 
fortune  of  Europe. 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  265 

But  it  was  a  real  comfort  to  have  seen  this  Turco ; 
and  for  several  days,  when  we  were  alone,  my  wife 
and  Gredel  talked  of  nothing  else;  but  sad  reflec- 
tions again  got  the  upper  hand. 

No  one  can  form  an  idea  of  the  misery,  the  feeling 
of  desolation  which  takes  possession  of  you,  wheu 
days  and  weeks  pass  by  in  the  midst  of  enemies  with- 
out the  least  word  reaching  you  from  the  interior; 
then  you  feel  the  strength  of  the  hold  that  your 
native  land  has  upon  you.  The  Germans  think  to 
detach  us  from  it  by  preventing  us  from  learning 
what  is  taking  place  there;  but  they  are  mistaken. 
The  less  you  speak  the  more  you  think;  and  your 
indignation,  your  disgust,  your  hatred  for  violence, 
force,  and  injustice  is  ever  on  the  increase.  You 
conceive  a  horror  for  those  who  have  been  the  cause 
of  such  sufferings.  Time  brings  no  change ;  on  the 
contrary,  it  deepens  the  wound :  one  curse  succeeds 
another;  and  the  deepest  desire  left  is  either  for  an 
end  of  all,  or  vengeance. 

Besides,  it  is  perfectly  evident  the  Lorrainers  and 
the  Alsacians  are  a  bold,  brave  nation;  and  all  the 
fine  words  in  the  world  will  not  make  them  forget 
the  treatment  they  have  suffered,  after  being  sur- 
prised defenceless.  They  would  reproach  them- 
selves as  cowards,  did  they  cease  to  hope  for  their 
revenge.  I,  Christian  Weber,  declare  this,  and  no 
honest  man  can  blame  me  for  it.  Abject  wretches 
alone  accept  injustice  as  a  final  dispensation ;  and  we 
have  ever  God  over  us  all,  who  forbids  us  to  believe 


266  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

that  murder,  fire,  and  robbery  may  and  ought  to  pre- 
vail over  right  and  conscience. 

Let  us  return  to  our  story. 

Cousin  George  had  seen  in  the  Englishman's 
newspapers  that  the  circulation  of  the  Independence 
Beige  and  the  Journal  de  Geneve  had  doubled  and 
trebled  since  the  commencement  of  the  war,  because 
they  filled  the  place  of  all  the  other  journals  which 
used  to  be  received  from  I'aris;  and  without  loss  of 
time  he  had  written  to  Brussels  to  subscribe. 

The  first  week,  having  received  no  answer,  he  had 
sent  the  money  in  Prussian  notes  in  a  second  letter; 
for  we  had  at  that  time  only  Prussian  thalers  in 
paper,  with  which  the  Landwehr  paid  us  for  what- 
ever they  did  not  take  by  force.  We  had  no  great 
confidence  in  this  paper,  but  it  was  worth  the  trial. 

The  newspaper  arrived.  It  was  the  first  we  had 
seen  for  four  months,  and  any  one  may  understand 
the  joy  with  which  George  came  to  tell  me  this  good 
news. 

Every  evening  from  that  time  I  went  to  hear  the 
newspapers  read  at  Cousin  George's.  We  could 
hardly  understand  anything  at  first,  for  at  every  line 
we  met  with  new  names.  Chanzy  had  the  chief 
command  upon  the  Loire,  Faidherbe  in  the  north. 
And  these  two  men,  without  any  soldiers  besides 
Mobiles  and  volunteers,  held  the  open  country. 
They  even  gained  considerable  advantages  over  an 
enemy  that  far  outnumbered  them ;  whilst  the  mar- 
shals of  the  Empire  had  suffered  themselves  to  be 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  267 

vanquished  and  annihilated  in  three  weeks,  with  our 
best  troops. 

This  shows  that,  in  victories,  generals  have  no 
more  than  half  the  credit. 

Of  all  the  old  generals,  Bourbaki  was  the  only 
one  left. 

As  for  Garibaldi,  we  knew  him,  and  we  could  tell 
by  the  restless  movements  of  our  Landwehr  that  he 
was  approaching  our  mountains  about  Belf  ort.  He 
was  the  hope  of  our  country:  all  our  young  men 
were  going  to  join  him. 

We  also  learned  that  the  Government  was  divided 
between  Tours  and  Paris;  that  Gambetta  was  bear- 
ing all  the  burden  of  the  defence  of  the  country,  as 
Minister  of  War;  that  he  was  everywhere  at  once, 
to  encourage  the  dispirited;  that  he  had  set  up  the 
chief  place  of  instruction  for  our  young  soldiers  at 
Toulouse,  and  that  the  Prussians  were  pursuing 
their  horrible  course  in  the  invaded  countries  with 
renewed  fury;  that  a  party  of  francs-tireurs  having 
surprised  a  few  Uhlans  at  Nemours,  a  column  of 
Germans  had  surrounded  the  town  on  the  next  day, 
and  set  fire  to  it  to  the  music  of  their  bands,  com- 
pelling the  members  of  the  committee  for  the  de- 
fence to  be  present  at  this  abominable  act;  that  M. 
de  Bismarck  had  laid  hands  upon  certain  bourgeois 
of  the  interior,  in  reprisal  for  the  captures  made  by 
our  ships  five  hundred  leagues  away  in  the  North 
Sea;  that  Ricciotti  Garibaldi,  having  defeated  the 
Prussians  at  Chatillon-sur-Seine,  those  atrocious 


268  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

wretches  had  delivered  the  innocent  town  over  to 
plunder,  and  laid  it  under  contribution  for  a  million 
of  francs;  that  respectable  persons  belonging  to  the 
Grand  Duchy  of  Baden,  private  individuals,  were 
crossing  the  Rhine  with  horses  and  carts  to  come  and 
pillage  Alsace  with  impunity — all  the  towns  and  vil- 
lages being  occupied  by  their  troops.  In  a  word, 
many  other  things  of  the  kind;  which  plainly  prove 
that  with  the  Prussians,  war  is  an  honest  means  of 
growing  rich,  and  getting  possession  of  the  property 
of  the  inoffensive  inhabitants. 

At  St.  Quentin,  one  of  their  chiefs,  the  Colonel 
de  Kahlden,  gave  public  notice  to  the  inhabitants, 
that  "  if  a  shot  was  fired  upon  a  German  soldier, 
six  inhabitants  should  le  shot;  and  that  every  in- 
dividual compromised  or  suspected  would  be  pun- 
ished with  death." 

Everywhere,  everywhere  these  great  philosophers 
plundered  and  burned  without  mercy  whatever 
towns  or  villages  dared  resist! 

George  said  that  these  beings  were  not  raised  above 
the  beasts  of  prey,  and  that  education  only  does  for 
them  what  spiked  collars  do  for  fighting  dogs. 

We  also  heard  of  the  capitulation  of  Thionville, 
after  a  terrible  bombardment,  in  which  the  Prus- 
sians had  refused  to  allow  the  women  and  children 
to  leave  the  place!  We  heard  of  the  first  encoun- 
ters of  Faidherbe  in  the  north  with  Manteuffel ;  and 
the  battles  of  Chanzy  with  Frederick  Charles,  near 
Orleans. 


STORY    OF   THE    PLEBISCITE  269 

In  spite  of  the  inferiority  of  our  numbers,  and 
the  inexperience  of  our  troops,  we  often  got  the  up- 
per hand. 

These  news  had  restored  us  to  hope.  Unhappily, 
the  heaviest  blow  of  all  was  to  come.  Phalsbourg, 
utterly  exhausted  by  famine,  was  about  to  surren- 
der, after  a  resistance  of  five  months. 

Oh !  my  ancient  town  of  Phalsbourg,  what  afflic- 
tion sank  into  our  hearts,  when,  on  the  evening  of 
the  9th  December,  we  heard  your  heavy  guns  fire 
one  after  another,  as  if  for  a  last  appeal  to  France  to 
come  to  your  rescue !  Oh !  what  were  then  our  suf- 
ferings, and  what  tears  we  shed! 

"  Now,"  said  George,  "  it  is  all  over!  They  are 
calling  aloud  to  France,  our  beloved  France,  unable 
to  come!  It  is  like  a  ship  in  distress,  by  night,  in 
the  open  sea,  firing  her  guns  for  assistance,  and  no 
one  hears:  she  must  sink  in  the  deep." 

Ah!  my  old  town  of  Phalsbourg,  where  we  used 
to  go  to  market;  where  we  used  to  see  our  own  sol- 
diers— our  red-trousered  soldiery,  our  merry 
Frenchmen!  We  shall  never  more  see  behind  our 
ramparts  any  but  heavy  Germans  and  rough  Prus- 
sians! And  so  it  is  over!  The  earth  bears  no 
longer  the  same  children ;  and  men  whom  we  never 
knew  tell  us,  "  You  are  in  our  custody :  we  are  your 
masters!  " 

Can  it  be  possible  ?  "No !  ancient  fortress  of  Van- 
ban,  you  shall  be  French  again :  "  Xursery  of  bravo 
men,"  as  the  first  Bonaparte  called  you.  Let  our 


270  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

sons  come  to  manhood,  and  they  shall  drive  from 
thy  walls  these  lumpish  fellows  who  dare  to  talk  of 
Germanizing  you ! 

But  how  our  hearts  bled  on  that  day!  Every 
one  went  to  hide  himself  as  far  back  in  his  house  as 
he  could,  murmuring,  "  Oh !  my  poor  Phalsbourg, 
we  cannot  help  thee;  but  if  our  life  could  deliver 
thee,  we  would  give  it." 

Yes!  I  have  lived  to  behold  this,  and  it  is  the 
most  terrible  sensation  I  have  ever  experienced:  the 
thought  of  meeting  Jacob  again  was  no  comfort; 
Gredel  herself  was  listening  with  pale  cheeks,  and 
counting  the  reports  from  second  to  second;  and  then 
the  tears  fell  and  she  cried:  "  It  is  over!  " 

ISfext  day,  all  the  roads  were  covered  with  Ger- 
man and  Prussian  officers  galloping  rapidly  to  the 
place;  the  report  ran  that  the  entry  would  take  place 
the  same  evening;  every  one  was  preparing  a  small 
stock  of  provisions  for  his  son,  his  relations,  his 
friends,  whom  he  dreaded  never  more  to  see  alive. 

On  the  morning  of  the  llth  of  December,  leave 
was  given  to  start  for  the  town;  the  sentinels  posted 
at  Wechem  had  orders,  to  allow  foot-passengers  to 
pass. 

Phalsbourg,  with  its  fifteen  hundred  Mobiles  and 
its  sixty  gunners,  disdained  to  capitulate;  it  surren- 
dered no  rifles,  no  guns,  no  military  stores,  no  eagles, 
as  Bazaine  had  done  at  Metz!  The  Commander 
Taillant  had  not  said  to  his  men:  "  Let  us,  above  all, 
for  the  reputation  of  our  army,  avoid  all  acts  of 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  271 

indiscipline,  such  as  the  destruction  of  arms  and  ma- 
terial of  war;  since,  according  to  military  usage, 
strong  places  and  arms  will  return  to  France  when 
peace  is  signed."  No!  quite  the  contrary;  he  had 
ordered  the  destruction  of  whatever  might  prove 
useful  to  the  enemy:  to  drown  the  gunpowder, 
smash  rifles,  spike  the  guns,  burn  up  the  bedding  in 
the  casemates;  and  when  all  this  was  done,  he  had 
sent  a  message  to  the  German  general:  "  We  have 
nothing  left  to  eat!  To-morrow  I  will  open  the 
gates!  Do  what  you  please  with  me!  " 

Here  was  a  man,  indeed ! 

And  the  Germans  ran,  some  laughing,  others 
astonished,  gazing  at  the  walls  which  they  had  won 
without  a  fight:  for  they  have  taken  almost  every 
place  without  fighting;  they  have  shelled  the  poor 
inhabitants  instead  of  storming  the  walls;  they  have 
starved  the  people.  They  may  boast  of  having 
burnt  more  towns  and  villages,  and  killed  more 
women  and  children  in  this  one  campaign,  than  all 
the  other  nations  in  all  the  wars  of  Europe  since  the 
Revolution. 

But,  to  be  sure,  they  were  a  religious  people,  much 
attached  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel,  and  who 
sing  hymns  with  much  feeling.  Their  Empercr 
especially,  after  every  successive  bombardment,  and 
every  massacre — whilst  women,  children,  and  old 
men  are  weeping  around  their  houses  destroyed  by 
the  enemy's  shells,  and  from  the  battle-fields  strewn 
with  heaps  of  dead  are  rising  the  groans  and  cries  of 


272  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

thousands  and  thousands  of  sufferers  whose  lives  are 
crushed,  whose  flesh  is  torn,  whose  bodies  are  rent 
and  bleeding! — their  Emperor,  the  venerable  man, 
lifts  his  blood-stained  hands  to  heaven  and  thanks 
God  for  having  permitted  him  to  commit  these 
abominable  deeds!  Does  he  look  upon  God  as  his 
accomplice  in  crime  ? 

Barbarian!  one  day  thou  shalt  know  that  in  the 
sight  of  the  Eternal,  hypocrisy  is  an  aggravation  of 
crime. 

On  the  llth  of  December,  then,  early  in  the 
morning,  my  wife,  Gredel,  Cousin  George,  Marie 
Anne  and  myself,  having  locked  up  our  houses, 
started,  each  carrying  a  little  parcel  under  our  arms, 
to  go  and  embrace  our  children  and  our  friends — if 
they  yet  survived. 

The  snow  was  melting,  a  thick  fog  was  covering 
the  face  of  the  country,  and  we  walked  along  in 
single  file  and  in  silence,  gazing  intently  upon  the 
German  batteries  which  we  saw  for  the  first  time, 
in  front  of  Wechem,  by  Gerbershoff  farm,  and  at 
the  Arbre  Vert. 

Such  desolation!  Everything  was  cut  down 
around  the  town;  no  more  summer-arbors,  no  more 
gardens  or  orchards,  only  the  vast,  naked  surface  of 
snow-covered  ground,  with  its  hollows  all  bare;  the 
bullet  marks  on  the  ramparts,  the  embrasures  all 
destroyed. 

A  great  crowd  of  other  village  people  preceded 
and  followed  us;  poor  old  men,  women,  and  a  few 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  273 

children;  they  were  walking  straight  on  without 
paying  any  attention  to  each  other:  all  thought  of 
the  fate  of  those  they  loved,  which  they  would 
learn  within  an  hour. 

Thus  we  arrived  at  the  gate  of  France;  it  stood 
open  and  unguarded.  The  moment  we  entered,  the 
ruins  were  seen;  houses  tottering,  streets  demol- 
ished, here  a  window  left  alone,  there  up  in  the  air 
a  chimney  scarcely  supported ;  farther  on  some  door- 
steps and  no  door.  In  every  direction  the  bomb- 
shells had  left  their  tracks. 

God  of  heaven !  did  we  indeed  behold  such  devas- 
tation? we  did  in  truth.  We  all  saw  it:  it  was  no 
dream! 

The  cold  was  piercing.  The  townspeople,  hag- 
gard and  pale,  stared  at  us  arriving;  recognitions 
took  place,  men  and  women  approached  and  took 
each  other  by  the  hand. 

"  Well?  "  "  Well,"  was  the  reply  in  a  hollow 
whisper,  in  the  midst  of  the  street  encumbered  with 
blackened  beams  of  wood.  "  Have  you  suffered 
much?"  "Ah!  yes." 

This  was  enough :  no  need  for  another  word ;  and 
then  we  would  proceed  farther.  At  every  street 
corner  a  new  scene  of  horror  began. 

Catherine  and  I  were  seeking  Jacob;  no  doubt 
Grcdel  was  looking  for  Jean  Baptiste. 

We  saw  our  poor  Mobiles  passing  by,  scarcely 
recognizable  after  those  five  months.  All  through 
the  fearful  cold  these  unhappy  men  had  had  noth- 
18 


274  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

ing  on  but  their  summer  blouses  and  linen  trousers. 
Many  of  them  might  have  escaped  and  gained  their 
villages,  for  the  gates  had  stood  open  since  the  even- 
ing before;  but  not  a  man  thought  of  doing  so;  it  was 
not  supposed  that  Mobile's  would  be  treated  like 
regular  soldiers. 

On  the  place,  in  front  of  the  fallen  church  filled 
with  its  own  ruins,  we  heard,  for  the  first  time,  that 
the  garrison  were  prisoners  of  war. 

The  cafes  Vacheron,  Meyer,  and  Hoffmann,  rid- 
dled with  balls,  were  swarming  with  officers. 

We  were  gazing,  not  knowing  whom  to  ask  after 
Jacob,  when  a  cry  behind  us  made  us  turn  round; 
and  there  was  Gredel  in  the  arms  of  Jean  Baptiste 
Werner!  Then  I  kept  silence;  my  wife  also. 
Since  she  would  have  it  so,  well,  so  let  it  be;  this  mat- 
ter concerned  her  much  more  than  it  did  us. 

Jean  Baptiste,  after  the  first  moment,  looked  em- 
barrassed at  seeing  us ;  he  approached  us  with  a  pale 
face,  and  as  we  spoke  not  a  word  to  him,  George 
shook  him  by  the  hand,  and  cried:  "  Jean  Baptiste, 
I  know  that  you  have  behaved  well  during  this 
siege;  we  have  learned  it  all  with  pleasure:  didn't 
we,  Christian?  didn't  we,  Catherine? " 

What  answer  could  we  make?  I  said  "  yes  " — 
and  mother,  with  tears  in  her  eyes,  cried:  "  Jean 
Baptiste,  is  Jacob  not  wounded  ?  " 

"  No,  Madame  Weber;  we  have  always-been  very 
comfortable  together.  There  is  nothing  the  mat- 
ter. I'll  fetch  him :  only  come  in  somewhere." 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  275 

"  "We  arc  going  to  the  Cafe  Hoffmann,"  said  she. 
"  Try  to  find  him,  Jean  Baptiste."  And  as  he 
Was  turning  in  the  direction  of  the  mayoralty-house: 

"  There,"  said  he,  "  there  he  is  coming  round  the 
corner  by  the  chemist  Hebe's  shop."  And  we  began, 
to  cry  "  Jacob!  " 

And  our  lad  ran,  crossing  the  place. 

A  minute  after,  we  were  in  each  ether's  arms. 

He  had  on  a  coarse  soldier's  cloak,  and  canvas 
trousers;  his  cheeks  were  hollow;  he  stared  at  us, 
and  stammered:  "  Oh,  is  it  you?  You  are  not  all 
dead?" 

He  looked  stupefied ;  and  his  mother,  holding  him, 
murmured :  "  It  is  he !  " 

She  would  not  relinquish  her  hold  upon  him,  and 
wiped  her  eyes  with  her  apron. 

Gredel  and  Jean  Baptiste  followed  arm-in-arm, 
with  George  and  Marie  Anne.  We  entered  the 
Cafe  Hoffmann  together;  we  sat  round  a  table  in  the 
room  at  the  left,  and  George  ordered  some  coffee, 
for  we  all  felt  the  need  of  a  little  warmth. 

None  of  us  wished  to  speak;  we  were  downcast, 
and  held  each  other  by  the  hand,  gazing  in  each 
other's  faces. 

The  young  officers  of  the  Mobiles  were  talking 
together  in  the  next  room ;  we  coiild  hear  them  say- 
ing that  not  one  would  sign  the  engagement  not  to 
serve  again  during  the  campaign;  that  they  would 
all  go  as  prisoners  of  war,  and  would  accept  no  other 
lot  than  that  of  their  men. 


276  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

This  idea  of  seeing  our  Jacob  go  off  as  a  prisoner 
of  war,  almost  broke  our  hearts,  and  my  wife  began 
to  sob  bitterly,  with  her  head  upon  the  table. 

Jacob  would  have  wished  to  come  back  to  the 
mill  along  with  us;  I  could  see  this  by  his  coun- 
tenance; but  he  was  not  an  officer,  and  his  parole 
was  not  asked  for.  And,  in  spite  of  all,  hearing 
those  spirited  young  men,  who  were  sacrificing 
their  liberty  to  discharge  a  duty,  I  should  myself 
have  said  "  ISTo :  a  man  must  be  a  man !  " 

Werner  was  talking  with  my  cousin :  they  spoke 
in  whispers;  having,  no  doubt,  secret  matters  to 
discuss.  I  saw  George  slip  something  into  his  hand. 
"What  could  it  be?  I  cannot  say;  but  all  at  once 
Jean  Baptiste  rising  from  his  seat  and  kissing  Gre- 
del  without  any  ceremony  before  our  faces,  said 
that  he  was  on  service;  that  he  would  not  see  us 
again  very  soon,  as  after  the  muster  their  march 
would  begin,  so  that  we  should  have  to  say  good-by 
at  once. 

He  held  out  both  his  hands  to  my  wife  and  then 
to  Marie  Anne,  after  which  he  went  out  with 
George  and  Gredel,  leaving  us  much  astonished. 

Jacob  and  Marie  Anne  remained  with  us;  in  a 
couple  of  minutes  Gredel  and  my  cousin  returned; 
Gredel,  whose  eyes  were  red,  sat  by  the  side  of 
Marie  Anne  without  speaking,  and  we  saw  that  her 
basket  of  provisions  was  gone. 

The  stir  upon  the  place  became  greater  and 
greater.  The  drums  beat  the  assembly.  th«  officers 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  277 

of  the  Mobiles  were  coming  out.  I  then  thought  I 
would  ask  Jacob  what  had  become  of  Mathias  Heitz; 
he  told  us  that  the  wretched  coward  had  been  trem- 
bling with  fright  the  whole  time  of  the  siege,  and 
that  at  last  he  had  fallen  ill  of  fear.  Gredel  did 
not  turn  her  head  to  listen;  she  would  have  nothing 
to  do  with  him!  And,  in  truth,  on  hearing  this,  I 
felt  I  should  prefer  giving  our  daughter  to  our  rag- 
man's son  than  to  this  fellow  Mathias. 

The  review  was  then  commencing  under  the  tall 
trees  on  the  place,  and  Jacob  appeared  with  his 
comrades.  No  sadder  spectacle  will  ever  be  seen 
than  that  of  our  poor  lads,  about  half  a  hundred 
Turcos  and  a  few  Zouaves,  the  remnants  of  Froesch- 
willer,  all  haggard  and  pale,  and  their  clothes  fall- 
ing to  pieces.  They  were  unarmed,  having  de- 
stroyed their  arms  before  opening  the  gates. 

Presently  Jacob  ran  to  us,  crying  that  they  were 
ordered  to  their  barracks,  and  that  they  would  have 
to  start  next  day  before  twelve. 

Then  his  eyes  filled  with  tears.  His  mother  and 
I  handed  him  our  parcels,  in  which  we  had  en- 
closed three  good  linen  shirts,  a  pair  of  shoes  almost 
new,  woollen  stockings,  and  a  strong  pair  of 
trousers. 

I  was  wearing  upon  my  shoulders  my  travelling 
cape;  I  placed  it  upon  his.  Then  I  slipped  into  his 
pocket  a  small  roll  of  thalers,  and  George  gave  hira 
two  louis.  After  this,  the  tears  and  lamentations 


278  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

of  the  women  recommenced;  we  were  obliged  to 
promise  to  return  on  the  morrow. 

The  garrison  was  defiling  down  the  street;  Ja- 
cob ran  to  fall  in,  and  disappeared  with  the  rest, 
near  the  barracks. 

As  for  Jean  Baptiste  Werner,  we  saw  him  no 
more. 

The  German  officers  were  coming  and  going  up 
and  down  the  town  to  distribute  their  troops 
amongst  the  townspeople.  It  was  twelve  o'clock, 
and  we  returned  to  our  village,  sadder  and  more 
distressed  than  ever. 

And  now  we  knew  that  Jacob  was  safe;  but  we 
knew  also  that  he  was  going  to  be  carried,  we  could 
not  tell  where,  to  the  farthest  depths  of  Germany. 

My  wife  arrived  home  quite  ill;  the  damp 
weather,  her  anxiety,  her  anguish  of  mind,  had  cast 
her  down  utterly.  She  went  to  bed  with  a  shivering 
fit,  and  could  not  return  next  day  to  town,  nor  Gre- 
del,  who  was  taking  care  of  her,  so  I  went  alone. 

Orders  had  come  to  take  the  prisoners  to  Liit- 
zelbourg.  On  reaching  the  square,  near  the  chem- 
ist Rebe's  shop,  I  saw  them  all  in  their  ranks,  mov- 
ing by  twos  down  the  road.  The  inhabitants  had 
closed  their  shutters,  not  to  witness  this  humilia- 
tion; for  Hessian  soldiers,  with  arms  shouldered, 
were  escorting  them:  our  poor  boys  were  advanc- 
ing between  them,  their  heads  hanging  sorrowfully 
down. 

I  stopped  at  the  chemist's  corner,  and  waited, 


'OOOD-BY,  MY  FATHER!  OOOD-BT,  MT  MOTHER  1" 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  279 

being  unable  to  discern  Jacob  in  the  midst  of  that 
crowd.  All  at  once  I  recognized  him,  and  I  cried, 
"  Jacob !  "  He  was  going  to  throw  himself  into 
my  arms;  but  the  Hessians  repulsed  me.  We  both 
burst  into  tears,  and  I  went  on  walking  by  the  side 
of  the  escort,  crying,  "  Courage!  .  .  .  "Write  to  us. 
.  .  .  Your  mother  is  not  quite  well.  .  .  .  She 
could  not  come.  ...  It  is  not  much !  " 

He  answered  nothing;  and  many  others  who 
were  there  had  their  friends  and  relations  before 
or  behind  them. 

We  wanted  to  accompany  them  to  Liitzelbourg; 
unhappily,  at  the  gate  the  Prussians  had  posted 
sentinels,  who  stopped  us,  pointing  their  bayonets 
at  us.  They  would  not  even  allow  us  to  press  our 
children's  hands. 

On  all  sides  were  cries:  "Adieu,  Jean!" 
"  Adieu,  Pierre ! "  and  they  replied :  "  Adieu ! 
Farewell,  father !  "  "  Adieu !  Farewell,  mother !  " 
and  then  the  sighs,  the  sobs,  the  tears.  .  .  . 

Ah!  the  Plebiscite,  the  Plebiscite! 

I  was  compelled  to  stay  there  an  hour;  at  last 
they  allowed  me  to  pass.  I  resumed  my  way  home, 
my  heart  rent  with  anguish.  I  could  see,  hear  noth- 
ing but  the  cry,  "Adieu!  Adieu!"  of  all  that 
crowd ;  and  I  thought  that  men  were  made  to  make 
each  other  miserable;  that  it  was  a  pity  we  were 
ever  born ;  that  for  a  few  days'  happiness,  acquired 
by  long  and  painful  toil,  we  had  years  of  endless 
misery;  and  that  the  people  of  the  earth,  through 


286  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

their  folly,  their  idleness,  their  wickedness,  their 
trust  in  consummate  rogues,  deserved  what  they 
got. 

Yes,  I  could  have  wished  for  another  deluge: 
I  should  have  cared  less  to  see  the  waters  rise  from 
the  ends  of  Alsace  and  cover  our  mountains,  than 
to  be  bound  under  the  yoke  of  the  Germans. 

In  this  mood  I  reached  home. 

I  took  care  not  to  tell  my  wife  all  that  had  hap- 
pened; on  the  contrary  I  told  her  that  I  had  em- 
braced Jacob  in  my  arms  for  her  and  for  us  all; 
that  he  was  full  of  spirits,  and  that  he  would  soon 
write  to  us. 


CHAPTER  XIH 

were  now  rid  of  our  Landwehr,  who  were 
garrisoned  at  Phalsbourg,  but  a  part  of  whom  were 
sent  off  into  the  'interior.  They  were  indignant, 
and  declared  that  if  they  had  known  that  they  were 
to  be  sent  farther,  the  blockade  would  have  lasted 
longer;  that  they  would  have  let  the  cqws,  the  bul- 
locks, and  the  bread  find  their  way  in,  many  a  time, 
in  spite  of  their  chiefs;  and  that  it  was  infamous  to 
expose  them  to  new  dangers  when  every  man  had 
done  his  part  in  the  campaign. 

There  was  no  enthusiasm  in  them;  but,  all  the 
same,  they  marched  in  step  in  their  ranks,  and 
were  moved  some  on  Belfort,  some  on  Paris. 

We  learned,  through  the  German  newspapers, 
that  they  had  severer  sufferings  to  endure  round 
Belfort  than  with  us;  that  the  garrison  made  sor- 
ties, and  drove  them  several  leagues  away;  that 
their  dead  bodies  were  rotting  in  heaps,  behind  the 
hedges,  covered  with  snow  and  mud;  that  the  com- 
mander, Denfert,  gave  them  many  a  heavy  dig  in 
the  ribs ;  and  every  day  people  coming  from  Alsace 
told  us  that  such  an  one  of  the  poor  fellows  whom 
we  had  known  had  just  been  struck  down  by  a  ball, 
281 


282  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

maimed  by  a  splinter  or  a  shell,  or  bayoneted  by  our 
Mobiles.  We  could  not  help  pitying  them,  for  they 
all  had  five  or  six  children  each,  of  whom  they  were 
forever  talking;  and  naturally,  for  when  the  par- 
ent-bird dies  the  brood  is  lost. 

And  all  this  for  the  honor  and  glory  of  the  King 
of  Prussia,  of  Bismarck,  of  Moltke,  and  a  few 
heroes  of  the  same  stamp,  not  one  of  whom  has  had 
a  scratch  in  the  chances  of  war. 

How  can  one  help  shrugging  one's  shoulders  and 
laughing  inwardly  at  seeing  these  Germans,  with 
all  their  education,  greater  fools  than  ourselves? 
They  have  won!  That  is  to  say,  the  survivors;  for 
those  who  are  buried,  or  who  have  lost  their  limbs, 
have  no  great  gain  to  boast  of,  and  can  hardly  re- 
joice over  the  success  of  the  enterprise.  They  have 
gained — what?  The  hatred  of  a  people  who  had 
loved  them;  they  have  gained  that  they  will  be 
obliged  to  fight  every  time  their  lords  or  masters 
give  the  order;  they  have  gained  that  they  can  say 
Alsace  and  Lorraine  are  German,  which  is  abso- 
lutely no  gain  whatever;  and  besides  this  they  have 
gained  the  envy  of  a  vast  number  of  people,  and  the 
distrust  of  a  vast  many  more,  who  will  end  by  agree- 
ing together  to  fall  upon  them  in  a  body,  and  treat 
them  to  fire  and  slaughter  and  bombardment,  of 
which  they  have  set  us  the  example. 

This  is  what  the  peasants,  the  artisans,  and  the 
bourgeois  have  gained ;  as  for  the  chiefs,  they  have 
won  some  a  title,  some  a  pension  or  an  epaulette: 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  283 

others  have  the  satisfaction  of  saying,  "  I  am  the 
great  So-and-So!  I  am  William,  Emperor  of  Ger- 
many; a  crown  was  set  on  my  head  at  Versailles, 
whilst  thousands  of  my  subjects  were  biting  the 
dust!" 

Alas!  notwithstanding  all  this,  these  people  will 
die,  and  in  a  hundred  years  will  be  recognized  as 
barbarians;  their  names  will  be  inscribed  on  the 
roll  of  the  plagues  of  the  human  race,  and  there 
they  will  remain  to  the  end  of  time. 

But  what  is  the  use  of  reasoning  with  such  phi- 
losophers as  these?  In  time  they  will  acknowledge 
the  truth  of  what  I  say ! 

Now  to  our  story  again. 

They  were  fighting  furiously  round  Belfort ;  our 
men  did  not  drop  off  asleep  in  casements;  they  oc- 
cupied posts  at  a  distance  all  round  the  place :  their 
sortie  from  Bourcoigne,  and  their  slaughter  of  the 
Bavarians  at  Haute-Perche,  were  making  a  great 
noise  in  Alsace. 

"We  learned  from  the  In depcn dance  the  battles 
of  Chanzy  at  Vendome  against  the  army  of  Meck- 
lenburg; the  fight  by  General  Cremer  at  Nuits 
against  the  army  of  Von  Werder;  the  retreat  of  Man- 
teuffel  toward  Amiens,  after  having  overwhelmed 
Rouen  with  forced  contributions;  the  bayonet  at- 
tack upon  the  villages  around  Pont-Xoyelles,  in 
which  Faidherbe  had  defeated  the  enemy;  and  es- 
pecially the  grand  measures  of  Gambetta,  who  had 
at  last  dissolved  the  Councils-General  named  by 


284  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

the  Prefects  of  the  Empire,  and  replaced  them  by 
really  Republican  departmental  commissions. 

Cousin  George  highly  approved  of  this  step. 
This  was  of  more  importance  in  his  eyes  than  the 
decrees  of  our  Prussian  Prefet  Henckel  de  Bon- 
nermark ;  though  he  had  inflicted  heavy  fines  upon 
the  fathers  and  mothers  of  the  young  men  who  had 
left  home  to  join  the  French  armies,  and  had  laid 
Lorraine,  already  ruined  by  the  invasion,  under  a 
contribution  of  700,000  livres  to  compensate  the 
losses  suffered  by  the  German  mercantile  marine; 
plundering  decrees  which  went  nigh  to  tearing  the 
bread  out  of  our  mouths. 

Then  George  passed  on  to  the  campaign  of 
Chanzy;  for  what  could  be  grander  than  this  strug- 
gle of  a  young,  inexperienced  army,  scarcely  organ- 
ized, against  forces  double  their  number,  com- 
manded by  the  great  Prussian  general  who  had  been 
victorious  at  Woerth,  Sedan,  and  Metz,  over  the 
whole  of  the  Imperial  troops? 

George  especially  admired  the  noble  protest  of 
Chanzy,  proclaiming  to  the  world  the  ferocity  of 
the  Germans,  and  pointing  out  with  pride  the  false- 
hoods of  their  generals,  who  invariably  claimed  the 
victory. 

"  The  Commander-in-Chief  lays  before  the  army 
the  subjoined  protest,  which  he  transmits,  under  a 
flag  of  truce,  to  the  commander  of  the  Prussian 
troops  at  Vendome,  with  the  assurance  that  his  in- 


STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  285 

dignation  will  be  shared  by  all,  as  well  as  his  desire 
to  take  signal  revenge  for  such  insults. 

"  To  the  Prussian  commander  at  Vendome : 
"  I  am  informed  that  unjustifiable  acts  of  vio- 
lence have  been  committed  by  troops  under  your 
orders  upon  the  unoffending  inhabitants  of  St. 
Calais.  In  spite  of  our  humane  treatment  of  your 
sick  and  wounded,  your  officers  have  exacted  money 
and  commanded  pillage.  Such  conduct  is  an  abuse 
of  power,  which  will  weigh  heavily  upon  your  con- 
sciences, and  which  the  patriotism  of  our  people  will 
enable  them  to  endure;  but  what  I  cannot  permit 
is,  that  you  should  add  to  these  injuries  insults 
which  you  know  full  well  to  be  entirely  gratuitous. 
"  You  have  asserted  that  we  were  defeated;  that 
assertion  is  false.  We  have  beaten  you  and  held 
you  in  check  since  the  4th  of  this  month.  You 
have  presumed  to  attach  the  name  of  coward  to 
men  who  are  prevented  from  answering  you;  pre- 
tending that  they  were  coerced  by  the  Government 
of  National  Defence,  which,  as  you  said,  compelled 
them  to  resist  when  they  wanted  peace,  and  you 
were  offering  it.  I  deny  this:  I  deny  it  by  the 
right  given  me  by  the  resistance  of  entire  France 
and  this  army  which  confronts  you,  and  which  you 
have  been  hitherto  unable  to  vanquish.  This  com- 
munication reaffirms  what  our  resistance  ought  al- 
ready to  have  taught  you.  Whatever  may  be  the 
sacrifices  still  left  us  to  endure,  we  will  struggle  to 
the  very  end,  without  truce  or  pity;  since  now  we 


286  STORY    OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

are  resisting  the  attacks  not  of  loyal  and  honorable 
enemies  but  of  devastating  bands  who  aim  solely  at 
the  ruin  and  disgrace  of  a  nation,  which  itself  is 
striving  to  maintain  its  honor,  rank,  and  indepen- 
dence. To  the  generous  treatment  we  have  accorded 
to  your  prisoners  and  wounded,  your  reply  is  inso- 
lence, fire,  and  plunder.  I  therefore  protest,  with 
deep  indignation,  in  the  name  of  humanity  and  the 
rights  of  men,  which  you  will  trample  underfoot. 

"  The  present  order  will  be  read  before  the  troops 
at  three  consecutive  muster-calls. 

"  CHANZY,  Commander-in-CJiief. 

44  HEAD-QUARTERS,  Le  Mans,  26th  December,  1870." 

These  are  the  words  of  an  honorable  man  and  a 
patriot,  words  to  make  a  man  lift  up  his  head. 

And  as  Manteuifel,  whose  only  merit  consists  in 
having  been  during  his  youth  the  boon  companion 
of  the  pious  William;  as  this  old  courtier  followed 
the  same  system  as  Frederick  Charles  and  Mecklen- 
burg, of  lowering  us  to  raise  themselves,  and  to  get 
their  successes  cheap;  General  Faidherbe  also 
obliged  him  to  abate  his  pride  after  the  affair  of 
Pont-Noyelles. 

"  The  French  army  have  left  in  the  hands  of  the 
enemy  only  a  few  sailors,  surprised  in  the  village 
of  Daours.  It  has  kept  its  positions,  and  has  waited 
in  vain  for  the  enemy  until  two  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon of  the  next  day." 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  287 

This  was  plain  speaking,  and  it  was  clear  on 
which  side  good  faith  was  to  be  looked  for. 

Thus,  after  having  opposed  a  million  of  men  to 
300,000  conscripts,  these  Germans  were  even  now 
obliged  to  lie  in  order  not  to  discourage  their  armies. 

Of  course  they  could  not  but  prevail  in  the  end: 
France  had  had  no  time  to  prepare  anew,  to  arm, 
and  to  recover  herself  after  this  disgraceful  capitu- 
lation of  the  honest  man  and  his  friend  Bazaine; 
but  still  she  resisted  with  terrible  energy,  and  the 
Prussians  at  last  became  anxious  for  peace  too,  and 
wished  for  it,  perhaps,  even  more  than  ourselves. 

The  proof  of  this  is  the  numberless  petitions  of 
the  Germans  entreating  King  William  to  bombard 
Paris. 

/Humane   Germans,   fathers   of  families,   pious 

men,  seated  quietly  by  their  counters  at  Hamburg, 

Cologne,  or  Berlin,  in  every  town  and  village  of 

Germany,  eating  and  drinking  heartily,  warming 

their  fat  legs  before  the  fire  during  this  winter  of 

unexampled  severity,  cried  to  their  king  at  Christ- 

jmas  time  to  bombard  Paris,  and  set  fire  to  the 

{  houses — to  kill  and  burn  fathers  and  mothers  of 

families  like  themselves,  but  reduced  to  famine  in 

\ their  own  dwellings ! 

/  Have  any  but  the  Germans  ever  done  the  like?  / 

We  too  have  besieged  German  towns,  but  never 
Lave  petitions  been  sent  up  like  this  under  the  Re- 
public, or  under  the  Empire,  to  ask  our  soldiers  to 
do  more  injury  than  war  between  brave  men  re-. 


288  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

quires.  And  since  that  period  we  have  never  use- 
lessly shelled  houses  inhabited  by  inoffensive  per- 
sons; and  even  when  we  have  had  to  bombard 
walled  towns,  warning  was  given,  as  at  Odessa  and 
everywhere  else,  to  give  helpless  people  time  to  de- 
part for  the  interior,  if  they  did  not  want  to  run 
the  risk  of  meeting  with  stray  bullets;  and  per- 
mission was  given  to  old  men,  women,  and  children 
to  come  out — a  privilege  never  granted  by  the 
Prussians. 

Ah!  the  French  may  not  be  so  pious,  so 
learned,  and  so  good  as  the  good  German  people, 
but  they  have  better  hearts  and  feelings  of  com- 
passion; they  have  less  of  the  Gospel  upon  their 
lips,  but  they  have  it  in  the  bottoms  of  their  souls. 
They  are  not  hypocrites,  and  therefore  we  Alsa- 
cians  and  Lorrainers  had  rather  remain  French  than 
belong  to  the  good  German  people,  and  be  like 
them. 

Indignities  without  a  precedent  have  been  com- 
mitted by  them:  "  Shell — bombard — burn,  in  the 
name  of  Heaven  1  Set  fire  everywhere  with  petro- : 
leum  bombs ! — You  are  too  gracious  a  king ! — Your 
scruples  betray  too  much  weakness  for  this  Baby- 
lon: Bombard  quick:  Bombardments  have  suc- 
ceeded better  than  anything  else.  Sire,  your  good 
and  faithful  people  entreat  you  to  bombard  every- 
thing— leave  nothing  standing!  " 

Oh!  scoundrels! — rascals! — if  you  have  so  often 
played  the  saint  for  fifty  years;  if  you  have  talked 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  289 

so  edifyingly  about  friendship,  brotherhood,  and 
the  alliance  of  nations,  it  was  because  you  did  not 
then  think  yourselves  the  strongest;  now  that  you^f 
think  you  are,  you  piously  bombard  women,  old  ) 
men,  and  children,  in  the  name  of  the  Saviour  1  S 
Faugh !  it  is  simply  disgusting ! 

Every  time  that  Cousin  George  read  these  assas- 
sins' petitions,  he  would  spring  off  his  chair  and 
cry :  "  Now  I  know  what  to  think  of  fanatics  of 
every  religion.  These  men  have  no  need  to  play 
the  hypocrite:  their  religion  does  not  oblige  them 
to  it.  Well,  they  play  the  Jesuit  for  the  love  of  it, 
better  than  we  do  by  profession.  May  they  be 
execrated  and  despised  perpetually." 

Then  he  dilated  with  much  warmth  of  feeling 
upon  the  kind  reception  which  the  Parisians,  in  for- 
mer days,  used  to  accord  to  the  Germans,  for  forty 
years  and  more.  Men  who  came  to  seek  a  live- 
lihood among  us,  without  a  penny,  lean,  humble, 
half-clad,  with  a  little  bundle  of  old  rags  under  their 
arms,  asking  for  credit,  even  in  George's  and  Marie 
Anne's  little  inn,  for  a  basin  of  broth,  a  bit  of  meat, 
and  a  glass  of  wine,  were  kindly  received;  they 
were  cheered  up,  and  situations  found  for  them: 
everybody  was  anxious  to  put  them  in  the  right  way, 
to  explain  to  them  what  they  did  not  know.  Soon 
they  grew  fat  and  flourishing,  and  gained  assur- 
ance; by  servility  they  would  win  the  confidence 
of  the  head-clerk,  who  showed  them  all  about  the 
business;  and  then  some  fine  morning  it  was  noised 
19 


290  STORY   OF   THE  "PLEBISCITE 

about  that  the  head-clerk  was  discharged  and  the 
German  was  in  his  place.  He  had  had  a  private 
interview  with  the  head  partner,  and  had  proposed 
to  do  the  work  for  half  the  salary.  Of  course  the 
partners  are  always  glad  to  have  good  workmen, 
humble  and  obsequious,  and,  above  all,  cheap. 

George  had  witnessed  this  fifty  times. 

But  people  did  not  get  angry;  they  would  say, 
"  The  poor  fellow  must  earn  a  living  somehow. 
The  other  is  a  Frenchman :  he  will  very  soon  secure 
another  place." 

And  it  was  thus  that  the  Germans  slipped  quietly 
into  the  shoes  of  those  who  had  received  them  kind- 
ly and  taught  them  their  trade. 

A  few  old  clerks  used  to  get  angry;  but  they 
were  always  held  to  be  in  the  wrong.  "  That  good 
German"  was  justified!  Pie  had  not  meddled; 
everything  had  gone  on  simply  and  naturally. 

And  twenty,  thirty,  fifty  thousand  Germans 
used  thus  to  come  and  prosper  in  Paris;  and  then 
they  would  get  a  holiday  to  take  a  turn  home  and 
exhibit  the  flesh  and  fat  they  had  gained,  and  their 
gold  trinkets. 

If  they  happened  to  be  professors  of  languages 
or  newspaper  correspondents,  they  were  sure  to 
break  out  down  there  against  the  corruption  of  man- 
ners in  this  "  modern  Babylon."  Great  hulking 
fellows  they  were,  with  long  hooded  cloaks,  and 
gold  or  silver  spectacles,  who  had  scandalized  even 
their  doorkeepers  by  bringing  home  night  after 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  291 

night  "  princesses  "  of  Mabile  and  elsewhere,  sing- 
ing, drinking  like  a  sponge,  shaking  all  the  house, 
and  preventing  people  from  sleeping;  bringing, 
besides,  other  colleagues  of  the  same  stamp,  and 
leading  disgraceful  lives! 

But  it  is  the  fashion  in  Germany  to  cry  out 
against  "  modern  Babylon."  It  flatters  the  secret 
envy  of  the  Germans,  and  establishes  the  charac- 
ter of  the  speaker  for  seriousness,  gravity,  and  in- 
fluence; as  a  man  worthy  of  every  consideration, 
and  who  may  hope — if  his  situation  in  Paris  ia 
permanent — for  the  hand  of  "  Herr  Rector's  "  or 
"  Herr  Doctor's  "  fair  daughter :  for  in  that  coun- 
try they  are  all  doctors  in  something  or  other.  Ho 
had  gone  off  as  cold  and  comfortless  as  the  stones  in 
the  street;  he  would  have  become  a  school-master, 
or  a  small  clerk  at  a  couple  of  hundred  thalers  all 
his  life,  in  old  Germany.  He  weighed  heavily 
upon  his  poor  father,  encumbered  with  a  dozen 
children;  but  he  had  grown  fat,  well-feathered, 
and  well-trained  in  Paris;  and  there  he  is  now  virt- 
uously indignant  against  our  own  townswomen: 
against  the  degenerate  race  which  has  given  him 
his  daily  bread,  and  pulled  him  out  of  the  mire,  in- 
stead of  kicking  him  downstairs. 

This  German  fellow  used  to  be  republican,  so- 
cialist, communist,  etc.  He  had  fled  from  Cologne, 
or  elsewhere,  in  consequence  of  the  events  of  1848. 
Nothing  in  our  opinion  was  sufficiently  strong,  de- 
cided, or  advanced  for  him.  He  spouted  about  hia 


292  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

sacrifices  for  the  universal  Republic,  his  terrible 
campaign  in  the  Duchy  of  Baden  against  the  Prus- 
sians, the  loss  of  his  place,  of  his  property.  We 
thought,  what  sufferings  he  has  endured!  Surely, 
the  Germans  are  the  first  Democrats  in  the  world ! 

But  now  this  very  same  gentleman  is  the  most 
faithful  servant  of  his  Majesty  William,  King  of 
Prussia,  Emperor  of  Germany.  No  doubt  he  talks 
at  Berlin  of  the  sacrifices  which  he  has  made  to  the 
noble  cause  of  Germany,  the  battles  he  has  fought 
in  the  public-houses  amongst  the  broken  bottles 
of  beer  which  he  has  been  swallowing  by  the  dozen, 
to  reclaim  old  Alsace,  where  lie  deep  the  roots  of 
the  Germanic  tongue.  He  abounds  in  indignation 
against  the  "modern  Babylon;  "  his  name  stands 
at  the  head  of  the  earliest  petitions  that  Babylon 
should  be  burned,  till  nothing  but  ashes  were  left: 
that  that  race  of  madmen  should  be  exterminated; 
and  as  during  his  residence  in  France  he  has  ren- 
dered police  services  to  Bismarck,  he  is  pretty  sure 
to  obtain  a  post  in  Alsace-Lorraine,  where  all  these 
old  German  spies  are  swooping  down  to  Germanize 
us. 

Thus  spoke  George,  in  his  indignation;  and 
Marie  Anne,  after  listening  to  him,  said:  "Ah,  it 
is  too  true!  Those  men  did  deceive  us;  and  they 
did  not  even  pay  their  debts.  Some  fine  morning, 
when  their  bill  had  run  up,  three-fourths  of  them 
would  make  a  start,  and  they  were  never  heard 
of  again.  I  have  never  had  any  confidence  in  any 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  293 

of  them,  except  the  crossing-sweepers  and  the  shoe- 
blacks: one  knew  where  to  find  them;  but  as  for 
the  professors,  the  newspaper  correspondents,  the 
inventors,  the  book-worms — they  have  done  us  too 
many  bad  turns;  and  they  were  too  overbearing. 
They  were  filled  with  hatred  and  envy  of  our  na- 
tion." 

Since  the  departure  of  the  Landwehr,  we  were 
able  to  speak  more  freely:  those  sulky  eavesdrop- 
pers were  no  longer  spying  upon  us,  and  we  felt  the 
relief. 

Paris,  as  we  saw  in  the  Independence,  was  mak- 
ing sorties.  The  Gardes  Mobiles  and  the  National 
Guards  were  being  drilled  and  becoming  better 
skilled  in  the  use  of  arms.  Our  sailors,  in  the  forts, 
were  admirable.  But  the  Germans  grew  stronger 
from  day  to  day;  they  had  brought  such  enormous 
guns — called  Krupp's — that  the  railways  were  un- 
able to  bear  them,  the  tunnels  were  not  high  enough 
to  give  them  passage,  and  the  bridges  gave  way 
under  their  ponderous  mass.  This  proves  that  if 
the  bombardment  had  not  yet  commenced,  in  spite 
of  the  innumerable  petitions  of  the  good  Germans, 
it  was  not  for  want  of  will  on  the  part  of  his  Maj- 
esty King  William,  Messieurs  Moltke,  Bismarck, 
and  all  those  good  men.  Oh,  no !  our  forts  and  our 
sorties  hampered  them  a  good  deal  in  gaming  their 
positions ! 

At  last,  about  the  end  of  December,  "  by  the 
grace  of  God/'  as  the  Emperor  William  said,  they 


294 


STORY    OF   THE    PLEBISCITE 


began  by  bombarding  a  few  forts,  and  were  soon 
enabled  to  reach  houses,  hospitals,  churches,  and 
museums. 

George  and  Marie  Anne  knew  all  these  places  by 
name,  and  these  ferocious  acts  drew  from  them  cries 
of  horror.  I,  my  wife,  and  Gredel  could  not  un- 
derstand these  accounts :  having  never  been  in  Paris, 
we  could  not  form  an  idea  of  it. 

The  German  news-writers  knew  them,  however; 
for  daily  they  told  us  how  great  a  misfortune  it  was 
to  be  obliged  to  shell  such  rich  libraries,  such  beauti- 
ful galleries  of  pictures,  such  magnificent  monu- 
ments, and  gardens  so  richly  stocked  with  plants  and 
rare  collections;  that  it  made  their  hearts  bleed: 
they  professed  themselves  inconsolable  at  being 
driven  to  such  an  extremity  by  the  evil  dispositions 
of  those  who  presumed  to  defend  their  property, 
their  homes,  their  wives,  their  children,  contrary  to 
every  principle  of  justice !  They  pitied  the  French 
for  their  want  of  common-sense ;  they  said  that  their 
brains  were  addled;  that  they  were  in  their  dotage, 
and  uttered  similar  absurdities. 

But  every  time  that  they  lost  men,  their  fury 
rose:  "  The  Germans  are  a  sacred  race!  Kill  Ger- 
mans! a  superior  race!  it  is  a  high  crime.  The 
French,  the  Swiss,  the  Danes,  the  Dutch,  Belgians, 
Poles,  Hungarians,  even  the  Russians,  are  destined 
to  be  successively  devoured  by  the  Germans."  I 
have  heard  this  with  my  own  ears!  Yes,  the  Rus- 
sians, too,  they  cannot  dispense  with  the  Germans; 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  295 

their  manufactures,  their  trade,  tlieir  sciences  come 
to  them  from  Germany;  they,  too,  belong  to  an 
inferior  race.  The  renowned  Gortschakoff  is  un- 
worthy to  dust  the  boots  of  Monsieur  Bismarck,  and 
the  Emperor  of  Russia  is  most  fortunate  in  being 
allied  by  marriage  to  the  Emperor  William :  it  is  a 
glorious  prerogative  for  him! 

The  captain,  Floegel,  used  often  to  repeat  these 
things;  and  besides,  the  Germans  all  say  the  same 
at  this  time ;  you  have  but  to  listen  to  them :  they  are 
too  strong  now  to  need  to  hide  their  ambition.  They 
think  they  are  conferring  a  great  honor  upon  us 
Alsacians  and  Lorrainers  in  acknowledging  us  as 
cousins,  and  gathering  us  to  themselves  out  of  love. 
We  were  a  superior  race  in  "  that  degenerate 
France;  "  but  we  are  about  to  become  little  boys 
again  amongst  the  noble  German  people.  We  are 
the  last  new-comers  into  Germany,  and  shall  require 
time  to  acquire  the  noble  German  virtues:  to  be- 
come hypocrites,  spies,  bombarders,  plunderers;  to 
learn  to  receive  slaps  and  kicks  without  winking. 
But  what  would  you  have  ?  You  cannot  regenerate 
a  people  in  a  day. 

The  Prussians  had  announced  that  Paris  would 
surrender  after  an  eight-days'  bombardment ;  but  as 
the  Parisians  held  out ;  as  there  were  passing  by  Sa- 
verne  innumerable  convoys  of  wounded,  scorched, 
maimed,  and  sick  by  thousands;  as  General  Faid- 
hcrbe  had  gained  a  victory  in  the  North,  the  victory 
of  Bapaume,  in  which  we  had  driven  the  Prussians 


296  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

from  the  field  of  battle  all  covered  with,  their  dead, 
and  in  which  the  enemy  had  left  in  our  hands  not 
only  all  their  wounded,  but  a  great  number  of  pris- 
oners; as  the  inhabitants  of  Paris  had  only  one  fault 
to  find  with  General  Trochu,  that  he  did  not  lead 
them  out  to  the  great  battle,  and  they  were  raising 
the  cry  of  "  victory  or  death;  "  since  Chanzy,  re- 
pulsed at  Le  Mans,  was  falling  back  in  good  order, 
while  in  the  midst  of  the  deep  snows  of  January  and 
the  severest  cold,  Bourbald  was  still  advancing  upon 
Belfort;  and  Garibaldi  with  his  francs-tireurs  was 
not  losing  courage;  since  the  Germans  were  suffer- 
ing from  exhaustion;  and  it  takes  but  an  hour,  a 
minute,  to  turn  all  the  chances  against  one;  and  if 
Faidherbe  had  gained  his  victory  nearer  to  Paris 
a  great  sortie  would  have  ensued,  which  might  have 
entirely  changed  the  face  of  things — for  these  and 
other  reasons,  I  suppose,  all  at  once  there  was  much 
talk  of  humanity,  mildness,  peace;  of  the  convoca- 
tion of  an  assembly  at  Bordeaux,  where  the  true  rep- 
resentatives of  the  nation  might  settle  everything, 
and  restore  order  to  our  unhappy  France. 

As  soon  as  these  rumors  began  to  spread,  George 
said  that  Alsace  and  German  Lorraine  were  to  be 
sacrificed;  that  our  egotists  had  come  to  an  under- 
standing with  the  Germans;  that  all  our  defeats  had 
been  unable  to  cast  us  down,  and  the  Prussians  were 
better  pleased  than  ourselves  to  come  to  an  end  of  it, 
for  they  needed  peace,  having  no  reserves  left  to 
throw  into  the  scale;  that  Gambetta's  enthusiasm 


STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  297 

and  courage  might  at  once  win  over  the  most  timid, 
and  that  then  the  Germans  would  be  lost,  because  a 
people  that  rises  in  a  body,  and  at  the  same  time  pos- 
sesses arms  and  munitions  of  war  in  a  third  of  our 
provinces,  such  a  nation  in  the  long  run  would  crush 
all  resistance. 

I  could  say  nothing.  Even  to-day  I  do  not  know 
what  might  have  happened.  When  Cousin  George 
spoke,  I  was  of  his  opinion ;  and  then,  left  to  my  own 
reflections,  when  I  saw  that  immense  body  of  pris- 
oners delivered  by  Bonaparte  and  Bazaine  all  at 
once;  all  our  arms  surrendered  at  Metz  and  Stras- 
bourg, and  our  fortresses  fallen  one  after  another; 
then  the  ill-will,  to  say  the  least  of  all  the  former 
place-holders  under  the  Empire,  three-fourths  of 
whom  were  retaining  their  posts — I  thought  it  quite 
possible  that  we  might  wage  against  the  Germans  a 
war  much  more  dangerous  than  the  first;  that  we 
might  destroy  many  more  of  the  enemy  at  the  same 
time  with  ourselves;  but,  if  I  had  been  told  to 
choose,  I  should  have  found  it  hard  to  decide. 

Of  course,  if  the  Prussians  had  been  defeated  in 
the  interior,  before  abandoning  our  country,  they 
would  have  ruined  us  utterly,  and  set  fire  to  every 
village.  I  have  myself  several  times  heard  a 
I/ditptmann  at  Phalsbourg  say,  "  You  had  better 
pray  for  us!  For  woe  to  you,  if  we  should  be  re- 
pulsed! All  that  you  have  hitherto  suffered  would 
be  but  a  joke.  We  would  not  leave  one  stone  upon 
another  in  Alsace  and  Lorraine.  That  would  be 


298  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

our  defensive  policy.  So  pray  for  the  success  of  our 
armies.  If  we  should  be  obliged  to  retire,  you 
would  be  much  to  be  pitied !  " 

I  can  hear  these  words  still. 

But  I  would  not  have  minded  even  that :  I  would 
have  sacrificed  house,  mill,  and  all,  if  we  could  only 
have  finally  been  victorious  and  remained  French; 
but  I  was  in  doubt.  Misery  makes  a  man  lose,  not 
courage,  but  confidence;  and  confidence  is  half  the 
battle  won. 

About  that  time  we  received  Jacob's  first  letter; 
he  was  at  Rastadt,  and  I  need  not  tell  you  what  a 
relief  it  was  to  his  mother  to  think  that  she  could  go 
and  see  him  in  one  day. 

Here  is  the  letter,  which  I  copy  for  you: 

"  MY  DEAR  FATHER  AND  MY  DEAR  MOTHER, — 
"  THANK  God,  I  am  not  dead  yet;  and"!  should 
be  glad  to  hear  from  you,  if  possible.  You  must 
know  that,  on  arriving  at  Liit/elbourg,  we  were  sent 
off  by  railway  in  cattle-trucks.  We  were  thirty  or 
forty  together;  and  we  were  not  so  comfortable  as  to 
be  able  to  sit,  since  there  were  no  seats,  nor  to 
breathe  the  air,  as  there  was  only  a  small  hole  to  each 
side.  Those  of  us  who  wanted  to  breathe  or  to 
drink,  found  a  bayonet  before  cur  noses,  and  chari- 
table souls  were  forbidden  to  give  us  a  glass  of  water. 
We  remained  in  this  position  more  than  twenty 
hours,  standing,  unable  even  to  stoop  a  little.  Many 
were  taken  ill;  and  as  for  me,  my  thigh  bones  seemed 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  299 

to  run  up  into  my  ribs,  so  that  I  could  scarcely 
breathe,  and  I  thought  with  my  comrades  that  they 
had  undertaken  to  exterminate  us  after  some  new 
fashion. 

"During  the  night  we  crossed  the  Rhine,  and 
then  we  went  on  rolling  along  the  line,  and  travel- 
ling along  the  other  side  as  far  as  Rastadt,  where  we 
are  now.  The  hindmost  trucks,  where  I  was,  re- 
mained; the  others  went  on  into  Germany.  "We 
were  first  put  into  the  casemates  under  the  ramparts; 
damp,  cold  vaults,  where  many  others  who  had  ar- 
rived before  us  were  dying  like  flies  in  October. 
The  straw  was  rotting — so  were  the  men.  The  doc- 
tors in  the  town  and  those  of  the  Baden  regiments 
were  afraid  of  seeing  sickness  spreading  in  the  coun- 
try; and  since  the  day  before  yesterday  those  who 
are  able  to  walk  have  been  made  to  come  out.  They 
have  put  us  into  large  wooden  huts  covered  in  with 
tarred  felt,  where  we  have  each  received  a  fresh 
bundle  of  straw.  Here  we  live,  seated  on  the 
ground.  We  play  at  cards,  some  smoke  pipes,  and 
the  Badeners  mount  guard  over  us.  The  hut  in 
which  I  am — about  three  times  as  large  as  the  old 
market-hall  of  Phalsbourg — is  situated  between  two 
of  the  town  bastions ;  and  if  by  some  evil  chance  any 
of  us  took  a  fancy  to  revolt,  we  should  be  so  over- 
whelmed with  shot  and  shell  that  in  ten  minutes  not 
a  man  would  be  left  alive.  We  are  well  aware  of 
this,  and  it  keeps  our  indignation  within  bounds 
against  these  Badeners,  who  treat  us  like  cattle. 


3oo  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

get  food  twice  a  day — a  little  haricot  or  millet  soup, 
with  a  very  small  piece  of  meat  about  the  size  of  a 
finger:  just  enough  to  keep  us  alive.  After  such  a 
blockade  as  ours,  something  more  is  wanted  to  set  us 
up ;  our  noses  stand  out  of  our  faces  like  crows'  bills, 
our  cheeks  sink  in  deeper  and  deeper;  and  but  for 
the  guns  pointed  at  us,  we  should  have  risen  a  dozen 
times. 

"  I  hope,  however,  I  may  get  over  it ;  father's 
cloak  keeps  me  warm,  and  Cousin  George's  louis  are 
very  useful.  With  money  you  can  get  anything; 
only  here  you  have  to  pay  five  times  the  value  of 
what  you  want,  for  these  Badeners  are  worse  than 
Jews;  they  all  want  to  make  their  fortunes  in  the 
shortest  time  out  of  the  unhappy  prisoners. 

"  I  use  my  money  sparingly.  Instead  of  smok- 
ing, I  prefer  buying  from  time  to  time  a  little  meat 
or  a  very  small  bottle  of  wine  to  fortify  my  stomach ; 
it  is  much  better  for  my  health,  and  is  the  more  en- 
joyable when  your  appetite  is  good.  My  appetite 
has  never  failed.  When  the  appetite  fails,  comes 
the  typhus.  I  do  not  expect  I  shall  catch  typhus. 
But,  if  it  please  God  to  let  me  return  to  Rothalp,  the 
very  first  day  I  will  have  a  substantial  meal  of  ham, 
veal  pie,  and  red  wine.  I  will  also  invite  my  com- 
rades, for  it  is  a  dreadful  thing  to  be  hungry.  And 
now,  to  tell  you  the  truth,  I  repent  of  having  never 
given  a  couple  of  sous  to  some  poor  beggar  who 
asked  me  for  alms  in  the  winter,  saying  that  he  had 
§aten  nothing.  I  know  what  hunger  is  now,  and 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  301 

I  feel  sorry.  If  you  meet  one  in  this  condition, 
father  or  mother,  invite  him  in,  give  him  bread,  let 
him  warm  himself,  and  give  him  two  or  three  sous 
when  he  goes.  Fancy  that  you  are  doing  it  for  your 
son ;  it  will  bring  me  comfort. 

"  Perhaps  mother  will  be  able  to  come  and  see 
me:  not  many  people  are  allowed  to  come  near  us; 
a  permit  must  be  had  from  the  commandant  at  K,a- 
stadt.  These  Badeners  and  these  Bavarians,  who 
were  said  to  be  such  good  Catholics,  treat  us  as  hard- 
ly as  the  Lutherans.  I  remember  now  that  Cousiji 
George  used  to  say  that  was  only  part  of  the  play: 
he  was  right.  Instead  of  only  praising  and  singing 
to  our  Lord,  they  would  much  better  follow  His  ex- 
ample. 

"  Let  mother  try !  Perhaps  the  commandan 
may  have  had  a  good  dinner;  then  he  will  be  in  a 
good  temper,  and  will  give  her  leave  to  come  into 
the  huts:  that  is  my  wish.  And  now,  to  come  to 
an  end,  I  embrace  you  all  a  hundred  times;  father, 
mother,  Gredel,  Cousin  George,  and  Cousin  Marie 
Anne. 

"  Your  son, 

"  JACOB  WEBER. 

"  I  forgot  to  tell  you  that  several  out  of  our  bat- 
talion escaped  from  Phalsbourg  before  and  after  the 
muster-call  of  the  prisoners:  in  the  number  was  Jean 
Baptiste  "Werner.  It  is  said  that  they  have  joined 
Garibaldi:  I  wish  I  was  with  them.  The  Germans 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

tell  us  that  if  they  can  catch  them  they  will  shoot 
them  down  without  pity;  yes,  but  they  won't  let 
themselves  be  caught;  especially  Jean  Baptiste;  he 
is  a  soldier  indeed!  If  we  had  but  two  hundred 
thousand  of  his  sort,  these  Badeners  would  not  be 
bothering  us  with  their  haricot-soup,  and  their  can- 
nons full  of  grape-shot. 

"KASTADT,  January  6,  1871." 

From  that  moment  my  wife  only  thought  of  see- 
ing Jacob  again;  she  made  up  her  bundle,  put  into 
her  basket  sundry  provisions,  and  in  a  couple  of  days 
started  for  Rastadt. 

I  put  no  hindrance  in  her  way,  thinking  she 
would  have  no  rest  until  she  had  embraced  our 
boy. 

Gredel  was  quite  easy,  knowing  that  Jean  Bap- 
tiste "Werner  was  with  Garibaldi.  I  even  think  she 
had  had  news  from  him ;  but  she  showed  us  none  of 
his  letters,  and  had  again  begun  to  talk  about  her 
marriage-portion,  reminding  me  that  her  mother 
had  had  a  hundred  louis,  and  that  she  ought  to  have 
the  same.  She  insisted  upon  knowing  where  our 
money  was  hidden,  and  I  said  to  her,  "  Search ;  if 
you  can  find  it,  it  is  yours." 

Girls  who  want  to  be  married  are  so  awfully  self- 
ish ;  if  they  can  only  have  the  man  they  want,  house, 
family,  native  land,  all  is  one  to  them.  They  are 
not  all  like  that ;  but  a  good  half.  I  was  so  annoyed 
with  Gredel  that  I  began  to  wish  her  Jean  Baptiste 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  303 

would  come  back,  that  I  might  marry  them  and 
count  out  her  money. 

But  more  serious  affairs  were  then  attracting  the 
eyes  of  all  Alsace  and  France. 

Gambetta  had  been  blamed  for  having  detached 
Bourbaki's  army  to  our  succor  by  raising  the  block- 
ade of  Belfort.  It  has  been  said  that  this  move- 
ment enabled  the  combined  forces  of  Prince  Fred- 
erick Charles,  and  of  Mecklenburg,  to  fall  upon 
Chanzy  and  overwhelm  him,  and  that  our  two 
central  armies  ought  to  have  naturally  supported 
each  other.  Possibly!  I  even  believe  that  Gam- 
betta committed  a  serious  error  in  dividing  our 
forces:  but,  it  must  be  acknowledged,  that  if  the 
winter  had  not  been  against  us — if  the  cold  had  not, 
at  that  very  crisis  of  our  fate,  redoubled  in  intensity, 
preventing  Bourbaki  from  advancing  with  his  guna 
and  warlike  stores  with  the  rapidity  necessary  to  pre- 
vent De  Werder  from  fortifying  his  position  and 
receiving  reinforcements — Alsace  would  have  been 
delivered,  and  we  might  even  have  attacked  Ger- 
many itself  by  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Baden.  Then 
how  many  men  would  have  risen  in  a  moment! 
Many  times  George  and  I,  watching  these  move- 
ments, said  to  each  other:  "  If  they  only  get  to 
Mutzig,  we  will  go!  " 

Yes,  in  war  everything  cannot  succeed ;  and  when 
you  have  against  you  not  only  the  enemy,  but  frost, 
ice,  snow,  bad  roads;  whilst  the  enemy  have  the  rail- 
roads, which  they  had  been  stupidly  allowed  to  take 


304  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

at  the  beginning  of  the  campaign,  and  are  receiving 
without  fatigue  or  danger,  troops,  provisions,  muni- 
tions of  war,  whatever  they  want;  then  if  good  plans 
don't  turn  out  successful,  it  is  not  the  last  but  the 
first  comers  who  are  to  be  blamed. 

But  for  the  heavy  snows  which  blocked  up  the 
roads,  Bourbaki  would  have  surprised  Werder.  The 
Germans  were  expecting  this,  for  all  at  once  the 
requisitions  began  again.  The  Landwehr,  this  time 
from  Metz,  and  commanded  by  officers  in  spectacles, 
began  to  pass  through  our  villages;  they  were  the 
last  that  we  saw;  they  came  from  the  farthest  ex- 
tremity of  Prussia.  I  heard  them  say  that  they  had 
been  three  days  and  three  nights  on  the  railway ;  and 
now  they  were  continuing  their  road  to  Belfort  by 
forced  marches,  because  other  troops  from  Paris 
were  crowding  the  Lyons  railway. 

George  could  not  understand  how  men  should 
come  from  Paris,  and  said :  "  Those  people  are  ly- 
ing !  If  the  troops  engaged  in  the  siege  were  com- 
ing away,  the  Parisians  would  come  out  and  follow 
them  up." 

At  the  same  time  we  learned  that  the  Germans 
were  evacuating  Dijon,  Gray,  Vesoul,  places  which 
the  francs-tireurs  of  Garibaldi  immediately  occu- 
pied; that  "Werder  was  throwing  up  great  earth- 
works against  Belfort;  things  were  looking  serious; 
the  last  forces  of  Germany  were  coming  into  action. 

Then,  too,  the  Indepen dance  talked  of  nothing 
but  peace,  and  the  convocation  of  a  ^National  Assem- 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  305 

bly  at  Bordeaux;  the  English  newspapers  began 
again  to  commiserate  our  loss,  as  they  had  done  at 
the  beginning  of  the  war,  saying  that  after  the  first 
battle  her  Majesty  the  Queen  would  interpose  be- 
tween us.  I  believe  that  if  the  French  had  con- 
quered, the  English  Government  would  have  cried, 
"Halt — enough!  too  much  blood  has  flown  al- 
ready." 

But  as  we  were  conquered,  her  Majesty  did  not 
come  and  separate  us;  no  doubt  she  was  of  opinion 
that  everything  was  going  on  very  favorably  for  her 
son-in-law,  the  good  Fritz ! 

So  all  this  acting  on  the  part  of  the  newspapers 
•was  beginning  again ;  and  if  Bourbaki's  attempt  had 
prospered,  the  outcries,  the  fine  phrases,  the  tender 
feelings  for  our  poor  human  race,  civilization  and 
international  rights  would  have  redoubled,  to  pre- 
vent us  from  pushing  our  advantages  too  far. 

Unhappily,  fortune  was  once  more  against  us. 
When  I  say  fortune,  let  me  be  understood:  the  Ger- 
mans, who  had  no  more  forces  to  draw  from  their 
own  country,  still  had  some  to  spare  around  Paris, 
which  they  could  dispose  of  without  fear:  they  felt 
no  uneasiness  in  that  quarter,  as  we  have  learned 
since. 

If  General  Trochu  had  listened  to  the  Parisians, 
who  were  unanimous  in  their  desire  to  fight,  Man- 
teuffel  could  not  have  withdrawn  from  the  besieging 
force  80,000  men  to  crush  Bourbaki,  120  leagues' 
away;  nor  General  ^ran  Goeben  40,000  to  fall  upon 


306  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

Faidherbe  in  the  north;  nor  could  others  again  have 
joined  Frederick  Charles  to  overwhelm  Chanzy. 
This  is  clear  enough !  The  fortune  of  the  Germans 
at  this  time  was  not  due  to  the  genius  of  their  chiefs, 
or  the  courage  and  the  number  of  their  men ;  but  to 
the  inaction  of  General  Trochu!  Yes,  this  is  the 
fact!  But  it  must  also  be  owned  that  Gambetta, 
Bourbaki,  Faidherbe,  and  Chanzy  ought  to  have  al- 
lowed for  this. 

However,  France  has  not  perished  yet;  but  she 
has  been  most  unfortunate ! 

The  cold  was  intense.  Bourbaki  was  approach- 
ing Belfort;  he  took  Esprels  and  Villersexel  at  the 
point  of  the  bayonet;  then  all  Alsace  rejoiced  to  hear 
that  he  was  at  Montbeliard,  Sar-le-Chateau,  Vyans, 
Comte-Henaut  and  Chusey;  retaking  all  this  land  of 
good  people,  more  ill-fated  still  than  we,  since  they 
knew  not  a  word  of  German,  and  that  bad  race  bore 
them  ill-will  in  consequence. 

Our  confidence  was  returning.  Every  evening 
George  and  I,  by  the  fireside,  talked  of  these  affairs ; 
reading  the  paper  three  or  four  times  over,  to  get  at 
something  new. 

My  wife  had  returned  from  Rastadt  full  of  in- 
dignation against  the  Badeners,  for  not  having  al- 
lowed her  to  see  Jacob,  or  even  to  send  him  the  pro- 
visions she  had  brought.  She  had  only  seen,  at  a 
distance,  the  wooden  huts,  with  their  four  lines  of 
^sentinels,  the  palisades,  and  the  ditches  that  sur- 
rounded them.  Gredel,  Marie  Anne,  and  she, 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  307 

talked  only  of  these  poor  prisoners;  vowing  to  make 
a  pilgrimage  to  Marienthal  if  Jacob  came  back  safe 
and  sound. 

Fatigue,  anxiety,  the  high  price  of  provisions,  the 
fear  of  coming  short  altogether  if  the  war  went  on, 
all  this  gave  us  matter  for  serious  reflection ;  and  yet 
we  went  on  hoping,  when  the  Independance 
brought  us  the  report  of  General  Chanzy  upon 
the  combats  at  Montfort,  Champagne,  Parigne, 
1'Eveque,  and  other  places  where  our  columns,  over- 
powered by  the  120,000  men  of  Frederick  Charles 
and  the  Duke  of  Mecklenburg,  had  been  obliged  to 
retire  to  their  last  lines  around  Le  Mans.  That 
evening,  as  we  were  going  home  upon  the  stroke  of 
ten,  George  said :  "  I  don't  believe  much  in  pil- 
grimages, although  several  of  my  old  shipmates  in 
the  Boussole  had  full  confidence  in  our  Lady  of 
Good  Deliverance:  I  have  never  made  any  vows; 
these  are  no  part  of  my  principles;  but  I  promise  to 
drink  two  bottles  of  good  wine  with  Christian  in 
honor  of  the  Republic,  and  to  distribute  one  for 
every  poor  man  in  the  village  if  we  gain  the  great 
battle  of  to-morrow.  According  to  Chanzy  our 
army  is  driven  to  bay;  it  has  fallen  back  upon  its 
last  position,  and  the  great  blow  will  be  struck. 
Good-night." 

"  Good-night,  George  and  Marie  Anne." 
We  went  out  by  moonlight,  the  hoar-frost  was 
glittering  on  the  ground;  it  was  the  15th  of  Jan- 
uary, 1871. 


308  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

The  next  day  no  Independance  arrived,  nor  the 
next  day;  it  often  had  missed,  and  would  come  three 
or  four  numbers  together.  Fresh  rumors  had 
spread;  there  was  a  report  of  a  lost  battle;  the  Land- 
wehr  at  Phalsbourg  were  rejoicing  and  drinking 
champagne. 

On  the  18th,  about  two  in  the  afternoon,  the  foot- 
postman  Michel  arrived.  I  was  waiting  at  my 
cousin's.  We  were  walking  up  and  down,  smoking 
and  looking  out  of  the  windows;  Michel  was  still  in 
the  passage,  when  George  opened  the  door  and 
cried:  "Well?"  "Here  they  are.,  Monsieur 
Weber." 

My  cousin  sat  at  his  desk.  "  ISTow  we  will  see," 
said  he,  changing  color. 

But  instead  of  beginning  with  the  first,  he  opened 
the  second,  and  read  aloud  that  report  of  Chanzy's 
in  which  be  said  that  all  was  going  on  well  the  even- 
ing before ;  but  that  a  panic  which  seized  upon  the 
Breton  Mobiles  had  disordered  the  army,  without 
the  possibility  of  either  he  or  the  Vice-Admiral 
Jaurregulfcerry  being  able  to  check  or  stop  it;  so  that 
the  Prussians  had  rushed  pell-mell  into  the  unhappy 
city  of  Le  Mans,  mingled  with  our  own  troops,  and 
takon  &  large  body  of  prisoners. 

I  saw  the  countenance  of  my  cousin  change  every 
moment;  at  last,  he  flung  the  journal  upon  the  table, 
crying:  "  All  is  lost!  " 

It  was  as  if  he  had  pierced  my  heart  with  a  knife. 
[Yet  I  took  up  the  paper  and  read  to  the  end. 


STORY    OF   THE    PLEBISCITE  309 

Chanzy  had  not  lost  all  hope  of  rallying  his  army  at 
Laval,  and  Gambetta  was  hastening  to  join  him,  to 
support  him  with  his  courageous  spirit. 

"  There  now,"  said  George,  "  look  at  that!  " 
Placiard  was  passing  the  house  arm-in-arm  with 
a  Landwehr  officer,  followed  by  a  few  men;  they 
were  making  requisitions,  and  entered  the  house  op- 
posite. "  There  is  the  Plebiscite  in  flesh  and  blood. 
]^ow  that  scoundrel  is  working  for  his  Imperial  Maj- 
esty William  I.,  for  the  Germans  have  their  em- 
peror, as  we  have  had  ours ;  they  will  soon  learn  the 
cost  of  glory;  each  has  his  turn!  By  and  by,  when 
the  reins  are  tightened,  these  poor  Germans  will  be 
looking  in  every  direction  to  see  if  the  French  are 
not  revolting;  but  France  will  be  tranquil:  they 
themselves  will  have  riveted  their  own  chains,  and 
their  masters  will  draw  the  reins  tighter  and  tighter, 
saying:  '  Now,  then,  Mechle!*  Attention!  eyes 
right ;  eyes  left.  Ah !  you  lout,  do  you  make  a  wry 
face?  I  will  show  you  that  might  is  right  in  Ger- 
many, -as  everywhere  else,  if  you  don't  know  it  al- 
ready. Whack  !  how  do  you  like  that,  Mechle? 
Aha!  did  you  think  you  were  getting  victories  for 
German  Fatherland  and  German  liberty,  idiot? 
You  find  out  now  that  it  was  to  put  yourself  again 
under  the  yoke,  as  after  1815;  just  to  show  you  the 
difference  between  the  noble  German  lord  and  a 
brute  of  your  own  sort.  Get  on,  Mechle! ' 

*  Nickname  for  the  Germans,  answering  to  the  English  "  John 
Bull,"  and  the  French  "Jaques  Bonhomme." 


310  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

George  exclaimed:  "How  miserable  to  be  sur- 
prised and  deluged  as  we  have  been  daily  by  six  hun- 
dred thousand  Germans,  and  to  have  our  hands 
bound  like  culprits,  without  arms,  munitions,  orders, 
chiefs,  or  anything!  Ah!  the  deputies  of  the  ma- 
jority who  voted  for  war  would  not  demand  com- 
pulsory service;  they  feared  to  arm  the  nation. 
They  would  not  risk  the  bodies  of  their  own  sons; 
the  people  alone  should  fight  to  defend  their  places, 
their  salaries,  their  chateaux,  their  property  of  every 
sort!  Miserable  self-seekers!  they  are  the  cause  of 
our  ruin!  their  names  should  be  exposed  in  every 
commune,  to  teach  our  children  to  execrate  them." 

He  was  becoming  embittered,  and  it  is  not  sur- 
prising, for  every  day  we  heard  of  fresh  reverses  : 
first  the  surrender  of  Veronne,  just  when  Faidherbe 
was  coming  to  deliver  it,  and  the  retreat  of  our  army 
of  the  North  upon  Lille  and  Cambrai,  before  the 
overwhelming  forces  of  Van  Goeben,  fresh  from 
Paris;  then  the  grand  attack  of  Bourbaki  from 
Montbeliard  to  Mont  Vaudois,  which  he  had  pur- 
sued three  successive  days,  the  15th,  16th,  and  17th 
January  without  success,  on  account  of  the  rein- 
forcements which  Werder  had  received,  and  the  hor- 
rible state  of  the  roads,  broken  up  by  the  rain  and 
the  snow;  lastly,  the  arrival  of  Manteuffel,  with  his 
80,000  men,  also  from  Paris — to  cut  off  his  retreat. 

Then  we  understood  that  the  Landwehr  had  been 
right  in  telling  us  that  they  were  getting  reinforce- 
ments from  Paris;  and  George,  who  understood  such 


STORY    OF   THE    PLEBISCITE  $it 

things  better  than  I,  suddenly  conceived  a  horror  for 
those  who  were  commanding  there. 

"  Either,"  he  said,  "  the  Parisians  are  afraid  to 
fight — which  I  cannot  believe,  for  I  know  them — 
or  the  men  in  command  are  incapable — or  traitors. 
Hitherto  relieving  armies  have  been  sent  in  support 
of  a  besieged  city ;  now  we  see  the  besiegers  of  a  city 
twice  as  strong  as  themselves  in  men,  arms,  and  mu- 
nitions of  every  kind,  detaching  whole  armies  to 
crush  our  troops  fighting  in  the  provinces:  the  thing 
is  incredible!  I  am  certain  that  the  Parisians  are 
demanding  to  be  led  out,  especially  as  they  are  suf- 
fering from  famine.  "Well,  if  sorties  were  taking 
place,  the  Germans  would  want  all  their  men  down 
there,  arid  would  be  unable  to  come  and  overwhelm, 
our  already  overtasked  armies." 

Let  them  explain  these  things  as  they  will,  George 
was  right.  Since  the  Germans  were  able  to  send 
away  from  Paris  40,000  men  in  one  direction,  and 
80,000  in  another,  evidently  they  were  free  to  un- 
dertake what  they  pleased;  instead  of  surrounding 
the  city  with  troops,  they  might  have  set  helmets 
and  cloaks  upon  sticks  all  round,  for  scarecrows,  as 
they  do  to  keep  sparrows  out  of  a  corn-field. 

Here,  then,  is  how  we  have  lost:  it  was  the  in- 
capacity of  the  man  who  was  commanding  at  Paris, 
and  the  weakness  of  the  Government  of  Defence — 
and  especially  of  Monsieur  Jules  Favre! — who, 
when  they  ought  to  have  replaced  this  orator  by  a 
man  of  action,  as  Gambetta  demanded,  had  not  the 


3i2  STORY    OF   THE    PLEBISCITE 

courage  to  fulfil  tlieir  duty.  Everybody  knows 
this;  why  not  say  it  openly? 

The  only  thing  which  cheered  us  a  little  about  the 
end  of  this  terrible  month  of  January,  was  to  learn 
that  the  francs-tireurs  had  blown  up  the  bridge  of 
Fontenoy,  on  the  railroad  between  Nancy  and  Toul. 
But  our  joy  was  not  of  long  duration;  for  three  or 
four  days  after,  proclamations  posted  at  the  door  of 
the  mayoralty-house  gave  notice  that  the  Germans 
had  utterly  consumed  the  village  of  Fontenoy,  to 
punish  the  inhabitants  for  not  having  denounced  the 
francs-tireurs;  and  that  all  we  Lorrainers  were  con- 
demned, for  the  same  offence,  to  pay  an  extraordi- 
nary contribution  of  ten  millions  to  his  Majesty,  the 
Emperor  of  Germany:  At  the  same  time,  as  the 
French  workmen  were  refusing  to  repair  this  bridge, 
the  Prussian  prefect  of  La  Menotte  wrote  to  the 
Mayor  of  Nancy : 

"  If  to-morrow,  Tuesday,  January  24,  at  twelve 
o'clock,  five  hundred  men  from  the  dockyards  of  the 
city  are  not  at  the  station,  first  the  foremen,  then  a 
certain  number  of  the  workmen,  will  be  arrested  and 
shot  immediately." 

This  prefect's  name  was  Renard — "  Count  Re- 
gard." 

I  mention  this  that  his  name  may  not  be  forgot- 
ten. 

But  all  this  was  nothing,  compared  with  what  was 
to  follow.  One  morning  the  Prussians  had  given 
me  a  few  sacks  of  corn  to  grind ;  I  darecj.  pot  refuse 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 


313 


to  work  for  them,  as  they  would  have  crushed  me 
with  blows  and  requisitions:  they  might  have  car- 
ried me  off  nearly  to  Metz  again,  they  might  even 
have  shot  me.  I  had  pleaded  the  snow,  the  ice,  the 
failure  of  the  water,  which  prevented  me  from 
grinding;  unfortunately,  rain  had  fallen  in  abun- 
dance, the  snow  was  melting,  the  mill-dam  was  full, 
and  on  the  2d  or  3d  of  February  (I  am  not  sure 
which,  I  am  so  confused)  I  was  piling  up  the  sacks 
of  that  wicked  set  in  my  mill;  Father  Offran  and 
Catherine  were  helping;  Gredel,  iipstairs,  was  dress- 
ing herself,  after  sweeping  the  house  arid  lighting 
the  kitchen  fire.  It  was  about  eight  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  when  looking  out  into  the  street  by 
chance,  where  the  water  was  rattling  down  the  gut- 
ters, I  saw  George  and  Marie  Anne  coming. 

My  cousin  was  taking  long  strides,  his  wife  com- 
ing after  him;  farther  on  a  Landwehr  was  coming 
too:  the  people  were  sweeping  before  their  doors, 
without  caring  how  they  bespattered  the  passers-by. 
George,  near  the  mill,  cried  out,  "  Do  you  know 
what  is  going  on?  " 

"No— what?" 

"  Well,  an  armistice  has  been  concluded  for 
twenty-one  days;  the  Paris  forts  are  given  up:  the 
Prussians  may  set  fire  to  the  city  when  they  please. 
Now  they  may  send  all  their  troops  and  all  their 
artillery  against  Bourbaki;  for  the  armistice  does 
not  extend  to  the  operations  in  the  east." 

George  was  pale  with  excitement,  his  voice  shook. 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

Gredel,  at  the  top  of  the  stairs,  was  hastily  twisting 
her  hair  into  a  knot. 

"  Look,  Christian,"  said  my  cousin,  pulling  a 
paper  out  of  his  pocket;  "  the  armies  of  Bourbaki 
and  Garibaldi  are  surrendered  by  this  armistice. 
Manteuffel  has  come  down  from  Paris  with  80,000 
men  to  occupy  the  passes  of  the  Jura  in  their  rear: 
the  unfortunate  men  are  caught  as  in  a  vice,  be- 
tween him  and  Werder;  and  all  who  have  escaped 
from  the  hands  of  the  Prussians  and  taken  service 
again,  like  our  poor  Mobiles  of  Phalsbourg,  will  be 
shot!" 

While  cousin  was  speaking,  Gredel  had  come 
downstairs,  without  even  putting  on- her  slippers; 
she  was  leaning  against  him,  as  pale  as  death,  trying 
to  read  over  his  shoulder;  when  suddenly  she  tore 
the  paper  from  his  hands.  George  wished  he  had 
said  nothing;  but  it  was  too  late! 

Gredel,  after  having  read  with  clinched  teeth, 
ran  off  like  a  mad  woman,  uttering  fearful  screams : 
"  Oh !  the  wretches !  .  .  .  Oh !  my  poor  Jean  Bap- 
tiste!  .  .  .  Oh!  the  thieves!  .  .  .  Oh!  my  poor 
Jean  Baptiste !  " 

She  seemed  to  be  seeking  something  to  fight  with. 
And  as  we  stood  confounded  at  her  outcries,  I  said : 
"  Gredel,  for  Heaven's  sake  don't  scandalize  us  in 
this  way.  The  people  will  hear  you  from  the  other 
end  of  the  village!  "  She  answered  in  a  fury: 
"  Plold  your  tongue!  You  are  the  cause  of  it  all!  " 

"  II  "  said  I,  indignantly. 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  315 

"  Yes,  you!  "  she  shrieked,  with  a  terrible  flash- 
ing in  her  eyes:  "you,  with  your  Plebiscite;  de- 
ceiving everybody  by  promising  them  peace!  You 
deserve  to  be  along  with  Bazaine  and  the  rest  of 
them." 

And  my  wife  cried :  "  That  girl  will  "be  the 
death  of  us." 

She  had  sat  down  upon  the  stairs.  Marie  Anne, 
with  her  hands  clasped,  said:  "Do  forgive  her; 
her  mind  is  going." 

Never  had  I  felt  so  humbled ;  to  be  treated  thus 
by  my  own  daughter!  But  Gredel  respected  noth- 
ing now;  and  Cousin  George,  trying  to  get  in  a 
word,  she  exclaimed :  "  You !  you !  an  old  soldier ! 
Are  you  not  ashamed  of  staying  here,  instead  of 
going  to  fight?  The  Landwehr  are  as  old  as  you, 
with  their  gray  hairs  and  their  spectacles;  they 
don't  make  speeches;  they  all  march.  And  that's 
why  we  are  beaten !  " 

At  last  I  became  furious;  and  I  was  looking  for 
my  cowhide  behind  the  door,  to  bring  her  to  her 
senses,  when,  unfortunately,  a  Landwehr  came  in 
to  ask  if  the  flour  was  ready.  The  moment  Gredel 
caught  sight  of  him,  she  uttered  such  a  savage 
'shriek  that  my  ears  still  tingle  with  it,  and  in  a 
second  she  had  laid  hold  of  her  hatchet;  George 
had  scarcely  time  to  seize  her  by  her  twisted  back 
hair,  when  the  hatchet  had  flown  from  her  hand, 
whizzing  through  the  air,  and  was  quivering  three 
inches  deep  in  the  door-post. 


316  STORY    OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

The  Landwehr,  an  elderly  man,  with  great  eyes 
and  a  red  nose,  had  seen  the  steel  flash  past  close 
to  his  ear;  he  had  heard  it  whiz,  and  as  Gredel  was 
struggling  with  George,  crying:  "  Oh,  the  villain; 
I  have  missed  him!  "  he  turned,  and  ran  off  at  the 
top  of  his  speed.  I  ran  to  the  mill-dam,  supposing 
he  was  going  to  the  mayor's,  but  no,  he  ran  a  great 
deal  farther  than  that,  and  never  stopped  till  he 
reached  Wechem. 

Then  Gredel  became  aware  that  she  had  made 
a  mistake;  she  went  up  into  her  room,  put  on  her 
shoes,  took  her  basket,  went  into  the  kitchen  for 
a  knife  and  a  loaf,  and  then  she  left  the  house; 
running  down  the  other  side  of  the  hill  to  gain  the 
Krapenfelz,  where  our  cow  was  with  several  others, 
under  the  charge  of  the  old  rag-dealer. 

"  This  is  a  very  bad  business,"  said  George,  fix- 
ing his  eyes  upon  me ;  "  that  Landwehr  will  de- 
nounce you:  this  evening  the  Prussian  gendarmes 
will  be  here.  I'm  sure  I  don't  know,  my  poor 
Christian,  where  you  got  that  girl  from;  amongst 
those  who  have  gone  before  us,  there  must  have 
been  some  very  different  from  your  poor  mother, 
and  grandmother  Katherine." 

"What  would  you  have,"  said  Marie  Anne; 
"  she  is  fond  of  her  Jean  Baptiste."  And  I 
thought:  "  If  he  but  had  her  now;  it  is  not  I  would 
refuse  them  permission  to  marry  now;  no,  not  I. 
I  only  wish  they  were  married  already!  " 

I  was  thinking  how  I  might  settle  this  danger- 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  317 

ous  business.  George  said  we  must  overtake  the 
Landwehr,  and  slip  three  or  four  cent-sous  pieces 
in  his  hand,  to  induce  him  to  hold  his  tongue :  the 
Prussians  are  softened  with  money.  But  where 
could  he  be  found  now?  How  wyas  he  to  be  over- 
taken? I  had  no  longer  my  two  beautiful  nags. 
So  I  resolved  to  leave  it  all  to  Providence. 

To  my  great  surprise,  the  Landwehr  never  re- 
turned. That  same  day  two  other  Germans,  with 
Lieutenant  Hartig,  came  to  take  an  invoice  of  the 
flour,  without  mentioning  that  affair:  one  would 
have  thought  that  nothing  had  occurred.  The 
next  day,  and  the  day  after  that,  we  were  still  in 
painful  expectation;  but  that  man  gave  no  sign 
of  appearing.  No  doubt  he  must  have  been  a 
marauder;  one  of  those  base  fellows  who  enter 
houses  without  orders,  to  receive  requisitions  of 
every  kind,  to  sell  again  in  the  neighboring  villages; 
such  things  had  been  done  more  than  once  since 
the  arrival  of  the  Germans.  This  is  the  conclusion 
I  came  to  by  and  by;  but  at  that  time  the  fear  of 
seeing  that  fellow  returning  with  the  gendarmes, 
left  me  no  peace;  every  minute  my  wife,  standing 
at  the  door,  would  say :  "  Christian,  run !  Hero 
are  the  Prussian  gendarmes  coming!  " 

For  a  cow,  or  a  Jew  astride  upon  a  donkey  at  the 
end  of  the  road,  she  would  throw  one  into  fits. 

Gredel  remained  a  week  in  the  woods  in  the 
Krapenfelz.  Every  day  the  woodman  brought  her 
news  of  what  was  going  on  in  the  village.  At  last 


3i8  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

she  came  back,  laughing;  she  went  up  into  her  room 
to  change  her  clothes,  and  resumed  her  work  with- 
out any  allusion  to  the  past.  We  did  not  want  to 
start  the  subject  of  Jean  Baptiste  again;  but  she 
herself,  seeing  us  dispirited,  at  last  said  to  us: 
"  Pooh!  it's  all  right  now.  There;  look  at  that!  " 
It  was  a  letter  from  Jean  Baptiste  Werner, 
which  she  had  received  among  the  rocks  on  the 
Krapenfelz.  In  that  letter,  which  I  read  with 
much  astonishment,  Werner  related  that  he  had  at 
first  wished  to  join  Garibaldi  at  Dijon;  but  that 
for  want  of  money  he  had  been  obliged  to  stop  at 
Besancon,  where  the  volunteers  of  the  Vosges  and 
of  Alsace  were  being  organized;  that  upon  the  ar 
rival  of  Bourbaki,  he  had  enlisted  as  a  gunner  in 
the  20th  corps.  Two  days  after  there  were  engage- 
ments at  Esprels  and  Villersexel,  where  more  than 
four  thousand  Prussians  had  remained  on  the  field. 
The  cold  was  extraordinary.  The  Prussians,  re- 
pulsed by  our  columns,  had  retired  from  village  to 
village,  on  the  other  side  of  the  Lisaine,  between 
Montbeliard  and  Mont  Vaudois.  There  Werner, 
behind  a  deep  ravine,  had  mounted  batteries  of 
twenty-four-pounders,  well  protected,  on  three 
stages,  one  over  another;  his  army  and  his  rein- 
forcements were  concentrated  and  securely  in- 
trenched. In  spite  of  this,  Bourbaki,  wanting  to 
relieve  Belfort  and  descend  into  Alsace,  had  given 
orders  for  a  general  assault,  and  all  that  country, 
for  three  days,  resembled  a  sea  of  smoke  and  flame 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

under  the  tremendous  fire  of  the  hostile  armies. 
I'nhappily,  the  passage  could  not  be  forced;  and 
the  exhaustion  of  munitions,  the  fatigue,  the  sharp 
sufferings  of  cold  and  hunger — for  there  were  no 
stores  of  clothing  and  provisions  in  our  rear — all 
these  causes  had  compelled  us  to  retire,  but  in  the 
hope  of  renewing  the  assault;  when  all  at  once  the 
news  spread  that  another  German  army  was  stand- 
ing in  our  line  of  retreat,  near  Dole:  a  consider- 
able army,  from  Paris.  They  had  hurried  to  get 
clear  as  far  as  possible  by  gaining  Pontarlier;  but 
these  fresh  troops  had  a  great  advantage  over  us. 
Werder,  also,  was  following  us  up;  and  we  were 
going  to  be  surrounded  on  all  sides  around  Besan- 
gon.  Jean  Baptiste  went  on  to  say  that  then  Bour- 
baki  had  attempted  his  own  life,  and  was  seriously 
wounded;  that  General  Clinchamp  had  then  as- 
sumed the  command-in-chief ;  but  that  all  these 
disasters  would  not  have  hindered  us  from  arriving 
at  Lyons,  across  the  Jura,  if  the  Maires  of  the  vil- 
lages had  not  published  the  armistice,  causing  the 
army  to  neglect  to  secure  a  line  of  retreat;  that  a 
great  number  had  even  lain  down  their  arms  and 
withdrawn  into  the  villages;  that  the  Prussians 
had  kept  advancing,  and  that  only  in  the  evening, 
when  they  had  occupied  all  the  passes,  General  Man- 
teuffel  declared  that  the  armistice  did  not  extend 
to  operations  in  the  east,  and  that  our  army  must 
lay  down  their  arms,  as  those  of  Sedan  and  Metz 
had  done !  But  the  soldiers  of  the  Republic  refused 


320  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

to  surrender,  and  they  had  made  a  passage  through 
the  ice,  the  snow,  and  thousands  of  Prussian  corpses, 
to  Switzerland. 

Jean  Baptiste  Werner  related,  in  this  long  let- 
ter, full  particulars  of  all  that  he  had  suffered; 
the  attacks  delivered  by  the  corps  of  General  Bil- 
lot, who  was  charged  to  protect  the  retreat,  upon 
the  rocks,  at  the  foot  of  precipices,  in  all  the  deep 
passes  where  the  enemy  lay  in  wait  to  cut  off  our 
retreat;  how  many  of  our  poor  fellows  had  per- 
ished of  cold  and  hunger!  And  then  the  admi- 
rable reception  given  to  orj  unhappy  soldiers  by  the 
noble  Swiss,  who  had  received  them  not  as  strang- 
ers, but  as  brothers :  every  town,  village,  and  house, 
was  opened  to  them  with  kindness.  It  is  manifest 
that  the  Swiss  are  a  great  people;  for  greatness  is 
not  to  be  measured  by  the  extent  of  a  country,  and 
the  number  of  the  inhabitants,  as  the  Germans  sup- 
pose; but  by  the  humanity  of  the  people,  the  ele- 
vation of  their  character,  their  respect  for  -unsuc- 
cessful courage,  their  love  of  justice  and  of  liberty. 

How  much  help  have  the  Swiss  sent  us  in  suc- 
cor, in  money,  in  clothing,  in  food,  in  seed  corn, 
for  our  poor  fellow-countrymen  ruined  by  the  war ! 
It  came  to  Saverne,  to  Phalsbourg,  to  Petite  Pierre 
• — everywhere.  Ah,  we  perceived  then  that  heaven 
and  earth  had  not  altogether  deserted  us;  we  saw 
that  there  were  yet  brave  hearts,  true  republicans; 
that  all  men  were  not  born  for  fire,  pillage,  and 
slaughter;  that  there  are  men  in  the  world  besides 


IT  IS  CLEAR  THAT  TUB  SWISS  ARE  A  GREAT  PEOPLB. 


STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  321 

hypocrites — true  Christians,  inspired  by  Him  who 
said  to  men:  "  love  one  another;  ye  are  brethren." 
He  would  not  have  invented  petroleum  bombshells, 
or  declared  that  brute-force  dominated  over  right, 
like  those  barbarians  from  the  other  side  of  the 
Rhine. 

That  letter  of  Jean  Baptiste  Werner's  pleased 
me;  it  was  clear  that  he  was  a  brave  man  and  a 
good  patriot.  But  in  the  meanwhile,  the  policy 
of  Bismarck  and  Jules  Favre  went  on  its  way.  The 
order  of  the  day  was,  "  elect  deputies  to  sit  in  the 
assembly  at  Bordeaux,"  which  was  to  decide  for 
peace,  -or  the  continuance  of  the  war:  the  twenty- 
one  days'  armistice  had  no  other  object,  it  was  said. 

So  those  who  did  not  care  to  become  Prussians 
took  up  arms,  George  and  I  the  first;  myself  with 
the  greatest  zeal,  for  every  day  I  reproached  my- 
self with  that  abominable  Plebiscite  as  a  crime. 
And  now  began  the  old  story  again:  no  Legiti- 
mists, no  Bonapartists,  no  Orleanists  could  be 
found ;  all  •  cried :  "  We  are  Republicans.  Vote 
for  us!" 

But  in  every  part  of  the  country  through  which 
the  Prussians  had  gone,  the  Plebiscite  was  re- 
membered; the  people  were  beginning  to  under- 
stand that  this  unworthy  farce  was  our  ruin,  and 
that  men  should  be  judged  by  their  actions,  not 
their  words. 

At  Strasbourg,  at  Nancy,  all  who  desired  to  re- 
main French  nominated  two  lists  of  old  republicans, 

21 


322  STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

who  immediately  started  for  Bordeaux.  Gambetta 
was  elected  by  us  and  by  La  Meurthe;  he  was  also 
elected  in  many  other  departments,  with  Thiers, 
Garibaldi,  Faidherbe,  Chanzy,  etc. 

These  elections  once  more  revived  our  hopes. 
We  supposed  that  everything  had  taken  place  in 
the  West  and  the  South  as  with  us. 

Gambetta,  who  never  lost  his  sound  judgment 
in  critical  moments,  had  declared  that  all  the  old 
official  deputies  of  Bonaparte,  all  the  senators, 
councillors  of  State,  and  prefects  of  the  Empire, 
were  disqualified  for  election.  George  commended 
him.  "  When  a  spendthrift  devours  all  his  living 
in  debauchery,  he  is  put  under  restraint;  much 
more,  therefore,"  he  urged,  "  ought  men  to  be  re- 
strained who  have  devoured  the  wealth  of  the  na- 
tion and  put  our  two  finest  provinces  in  jeopardy. 
All  these  men  ought  forever  to  be  held  incapable  of 
exercising  political  functions." 

But  Bismarck,  who  relied  chiefly  on  the  old  Im- 
perial functionaries,  by  way  of  testifying  his  grati- 
tude to  the  honest  man  for  all  he  had  done  for 
Prussia — for  his  noble  behavior  at  Sedan,  and  his 
gift  of  Metz  to  his  Majesty,  William — protested 
against  this  manifesto  by  Gambetta:  he  declared 
that  the  elections  would  not  then  be  free,  and  that 
liberty  was  so  dear  to  his  heart,  that  he  had  rather 
break  the  armistice  than  in  any  way  cramp  the  free- 
dom of  the  elections. 

George,  on  hearing  this,  broke  out  into  a  rage. 


STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE  323 

"  "What,"  he  cried,  "  this  Bismarck,  who  has  warned 
the  Prussian  deputies  to  be  careful  of  their  expres- 
sions in  speaking  of  the  nobleness  and  the  majesty 
of  King  William,  '  because  laws  exist  in  Prussia 
against  servants  who  presume  to  insult  their  mas- 
ters ' — this  very  Bismarck  comes  here  to  defend 
liberty,  and  support  the  accomplices  of  Bonaparte! 
Oh !  these  defenders  of  liberty !  " 

Unhappily,  all  this  was  useless;  the  Prussians 
were  already  in  the  forts  of  Paris,  and  the  menaces 
of  Bismarck  had  more  weight  in  France  than  the 
words  of  Gambetta.  Therefore,  once  more  we  had 
to  yield  to  his  Majesty,  William,  and  many  of  our 
deputies  are  indebted  to  him  for  their  admission 
into  the  Chambers  of  Bordeaux. 

These  defenders  of  the  Republic  immediately 
showed  that  they  were  not  ungrateful  to  Bismarck; 
for  they  hissed  Garibaldi,  who  had  come  from  Italy, 
old,  sick,  and  infirm,  with  his  two  sons,  to  fight  the 
enemies  of  France,  and  uphold  justice,  when  all 
Europe  held  aloof! 

Garibaldi  was  not  even  allowed  to  reply:  these 
representatives  of  the  people  hissed  him  down !  He 
calmly  withdrew ! 

The  Sunday  following — I  am  ashamed  to  say 
it — our  cure  Daniel,  and  many  other  cures  in  onr 
neighborhood,  preached  that  Garibaldi  was  a  ca- 
naille. I  am  not  condemning  them;  I  am  simply 
stating  a  fact.  They  had  received  orders  from  their 
bishops,  and  they  obeyed;  for  the  poor  country 


324  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

priest  is  at  his  bishop's  mercy,  and  under  his  orders, 
like  a  whip  in  a  driver's  hand;  if  he  disobeys,  he 
is  turned  out !  I  know  that  many  would  rather  have 
been  silent  than  said  such  things,  and  I  pity  them! 

Well,  Bismarck  might  well  laugh;  he  had  more 
friends  among  us  than  was  believed.  Those  who 
want  to  make  their  profits  out  of  nations,  always 
come  to  an  understanding;  their  interests  and  their 
enemies  are  the  same. 

Then  the  Assembly  of  Bordeaux  voted  peace. 
"No  hard  matter;  only  involving  the  sacrifice  of 
Alsace  and  Lorraine,  and  five  milliards  as  an  in- 
demnity for  the  trouble  which  the  Prussians  had 
taken  in  bombarding,  devastating,  and  stripping 
us! 

Then  our  unhappy  deputies  of  Alsace  and  Lor- 
raine were  declared  to  be  German  by  their  French 
brothers,  against  every  feeling  of  justice;  for  no- 
body in  the  world  had  the  right  to  make  Germans 
of  us;  to  rend  us  from  the  body  of  our  French 
mother-country,  and  fling  us  bleeding  into  the  bar- 
barian's camp,  as  a  lump  of  living  flesh  is  thrown 
to  a  wild  beast,  to  satisfy  it ;  no,  no  one  in  the  world 
had  this  right.  We  alone  freely  ought  to  choose, 
and  decide  by  our  own  votes,  whether  we  would 
become  Germans  or  remain  French.  But  with  Bis- 
marck and  William,  right,  liberty,  and  justice  are 
powerless;  might  is  everything.  Our  sorrowing 
deputies  at  last  protested : 

"  The  representatives  of  Alsace  and  Lorraine, 


STORY    OF   THE    PLEBISCITE  325 

previous  to  any  negotiations  for  peace,  have  laid 
upon  the  table  of  the  National  Assembly  a  dec- 
laration, by  which  they  affirm,  in  the  clearest  and 
most  emphatic  language,  that  their  will  and  their 
right  is  to  remain  Frenchmen. 

"  Delivered  up,  in  contempt  of  justice,  and  by  a 
hateful  exercise  of  power,  to  the  dominion  of  the 
foreigner,  we  have  one  last  sad  duty  to  fulfil. 

"  We  again  declare  null  and  void  a  compact 
which  disposes  of  us  against  our  consent. 

"  The  revindication  of  our  rights  remains  forever 
open  to  each  and  all,  after  the  form  and  in  the  meas- 
ure which  our  consciences  may  dictate. 

"  In .  taking  leave  of  this  Chamber,  in  which  it 
would  be  a  lowering  of  our  dignity  to  sit  longer, 
and  in  spite  of  the  bitterness  of  our  sorrow,  our 
last  impulse  is  one  of  gratitude  for  the  men  who 
for  six  months  have  never  ceased  to  defend  us;  and 
we  are  filled  with  a  deep  and  unalterable  love  for 
our  mother-country,  from  which  we  are  violently 
torn. 

"  We  will  ever  follow  you  with  our  prayers;  and 
with  unshaken  confidence  we  await  the  future  day 
when  regenerated  France  shall  resume  the  course 
of  her  high  destiny. 

"  Your  brothers  of  Alsace  and  Lorraine,  sepa- 
rated at  this  moment  from  the  common  family, 
away  from  their  home,  will  ever  cherish  a  filial  af- 
fection for  their  beloved  France,  until  the  day  when. 
*jlx>  shall  come  to  reclaim  her  place  &mong  us." 


326  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

These  were  their  words. 

Monsieur  Thiers  asked  them  if  they  knew  any 
other  way  of  saving  France?  ISTo  reply  was  made. 
Unfortunately  there  was  none:  after  the  capitula- 
tion of  Paris,  the  sacrifice  of  an  arm  was  needful 
to  save  the  body. 

Half  the  deputies  were  already  thinking  of  other 
things;  peace  made,  they  only  thought  of  naming 
a  king,  and  of  decapitalizing  Paris,  as  the  news- 
papers said,  to  punish  it  for  having  proclaimed  the 
Republic!  All  these  people,  who  had  presented 
themselves  before  the  electors -with  professions  of 
republicanism,  were  royalists. 

Gambetta,  having  accepted  the  representation 
of  the  Bas  Rhin  (Alsace),  left  the  chamber  with  the 
deputies;  and  other  old  republicans,  contemptu- 
ously hissed  whenever  they  opened  their  mouths, 
gave  in  their  resignations. 

Paris  was  agitated.     A  rising  was  apprehended. 

About  that  time,  early  in  March,  1871,  Prus- 
sian tax-collectors,  controllers,  gardes  generaux, 
and  other  functionaries,  came  to  replace  our  own; 
we  were  warned  that  the  French  language  would 
be  abolished  in  our  schools,  and  that  the  brave 
Alsacians  who  felt  any  wish  to  join  the  armies  of 
the  King  of  Prussia,  would  be  met  with  every 
possible  consideration;  they  might  even  be  ad- 
mitted into  the  guard  of  his  Royal  and  Imperial 
Majesty.  About  this  time,  an  old  friend  of  Cousin 
George's,  Nicolas  Hague,  a  master  saddler,  a 


STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 


327 


wealthy  and  highly  respectable  man,  came  to  see 
him  from  Paris. 

Nicolas  Hague  had  bought  many  vineyards  in 
Alsace;  he  had  planned,  before  the  war,  to  retire 
amongst  us,  as  soon  as  he  had  settled  his  affairs; 
but  after  all  the  cruelties  perpetrated  by  the  Ger- 
mans, and  seeing  our  country  fallen  into  their  hands, 
he  was  in  haste  to  sell  his  vineyards  again,  not  car- 
ing to  live  amongst  such  barbarians. 

..George  and  Marie  Anne  were  •  delighted  to  re- 
ceive this  old  friend;  and  immediately  an  upstairs 
room  was  got  ready  for  him,  and  he  made  himself 
at  home. 

He  was  a  man  of  fifty,  with  red  ears,  a  kind  of 
collar  of  beard  around  his  face,  large,  velvet  waist- 
coat adorned  with  gold  chains  and  seals;  a  thorough 
Alsacian,  full  of  experience  and  sound  common- 
sense. 

His  wife,  a  native  of  Bar-le-Duc,  and  his  two 
daughters  were  staying  with  their  relations;  they 
were  resting,  and  recruiting  their  strength  after 
the  sufferings  and  agonies  of  the  siege;  he  was 
as  busy  as  possible  getting  rid  of  his  property;  for 
he  looked  upon  it  as  a  disgrace  to  bring  into  the 
world  children  destined  to  have  their  faces  slapped 
in  honor  of  the  King  of  Prussia. 

I  remember  that  on  the  second  day  after  his 
arrival,  as  we  were  all  dining  together  at  my  cous- 
in's, after  having  explained  to  us  his  views,  Nicolas 
Hague  began  telling  us  the  miseries  of  the  siege  of 


328  STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

Paris.  He  told  us  that  during  the  whole  of  that 
long  winter,  every  day,  were  seen  before  the  ba- 
kers' shops  and  the  butchers'  stalls  strings  of  old 
men  half  clothed,  and  poor  women  holding  their 
children,  discolored  -with  the  cold,  close  in  their 
arms,  waiting  three  or  four  hours  in  rain,  snow,  and 
wind,  for  a  small  piece  of  black  bread,  or  of  horse 
flesh;  which  often  never  came!  Never  had  he 
heard  any  of  these  unhappy  people  expressing  any 
desire  to  surrender;  but  superior  officers  and  staff 
officers  had  shamelessly  declared,  from  the  earliest 
days  of  the  siege,  that  Paris  could  not  hold  out! 
And  these  men,  formerly  so  proud  of  their  rank, 
their  epaulettes,  and  their  titles,  who  were  solely 
charged  to  defend  us,  and  to  uphold  the  honor  of  the 
nation,  discouraged  by  their  language  those  who 
were  trusting  in  them,  and  whose  bread  they  had 
eaten  for  years  passed  in  useless  reviews  and  pa- 
rades, in  frivolous  fetes  at  St.  Cloud,  at  Compiegne, 
the  Tuileries,  and  elsewhere. 

According  to  Nicolas  Hague,  all  our  disasters, 
from  Sedan  to  the  capitulation  of  Paris,  were  at- 
tributable to  the  disaffection  of  the  staff  officers, 
the  committees,  and  those  former  Bonapartist 
place-holders,  who  knew  well  that  if  the  Republic 
drove  out  the  Prussians,  nobody  in  the  world  would 
be  able  to  destroy  it;  and  as  they  did  not  care  for 
the  Republic,  they  acted  accordingly. 

"  There  is  a  great  outcry  at  the  present  moment 
against  General  Trochu,"  said  he,  "  principally  got 


STORY   OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 


329 


up  by  the  Bonapartists,  who,  in  their  hearts,  re- 
proach him  with  having  supported  France  rather 
than  their  dynasty.  They  make  him  responsible 
for  all  our  calamities;  and  many  Republicans  are 
simple  enough  to  believe  them.  But,  when  it  is 
remembered  that  this  man  arrived  only  at  the  last 
moment,  when  all  was  lost  already;  when  the  Prus- 
sians were  advancing  by  forced  marches  upon  Paris; 
when  MacMahon  was  forsaking  the  capital,  by 
order  of  the  Emperor,  to  go  to  Sedan,  to  get  the 
army  crushed  down  there  which  was  to  have 
covered  us ;  when  it  is  remembered  that  at  that  mo- 
ment Paris  had  no  arms,  no  munitions  of  war,  no 
provisions,  no  troops ;  that  the  whole  neighborhood, 
men,  women,  and  children,  were  taking  refuge  in 
the  city;  that  wagons  full  of  furniture,  hay,  and 
straw  were  choking  the  streets;  that  order  had  to  be 
restored  amidst  this  abominable  confusion,  the  forts 
armed,  the  National  Guard  organized,  the  inhabi- 
tants put  upon  rations,  etc.;  and,  then,  that  all 
those  thousands  of  men,  who  did  not  know  even 
how  to  keep  in  ranks,  were  to  be  taught  to  handle 
a  musket,  to  march,  and,  finally,  led  under  tire; — 
when  all  these  things  are  remembered,  it  must  be 
acknowledged  that,  for  one  -nan,  it  was  too  much, 
and  that,  if  faults  have  been  committed,  it  is  not 
General  Troclm  who  is  to  be  blamed,  but  the  mis- 
erable men  who  brought  us  to  such  a  pass.  Above 
all,  let  us  be  just,  It  is  quite  clear  that,  if  General 
Trochu  had  had  under  his  orders  real  soldiers,  com- 


330  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

manded  by  real  officers,  he  might  have  made  great 
sorties,  broken  the  lines,  or  at  least  kept  the  Ger- 
mans busy  round  the  place.  But  how  could  I,  Nic- 
olas Hague,  saddler,  Claude  Frichet,  the  grocer 
round  the  corner,  and  a  couple  of  hundred  thou- 
sand others  like  us,  who  did  not  even  know  the 
word  of  command — how  could  we  fight  like  old 
troops?  We  were  not  wanting  in  good  will,  nor  in 
courage;  but  every  man  to  his  trade.  As  for  our 
percussion  rifles,  arid  our  flint  locks,  and  a  hundred 
other  discouraging  things,  you  feel  utterly  cast 
down  when  you  know  that  the  enemy  are  well 
armed  and  supported  by  a  terrible  artillery.  Tro- 
chu  was  well  aware  of  these  things;  and  I  believe 
that  neither  he,  nor  Jules  Favre,  nor  Gambetta, 
nor  any  of  those  who  declared  themselves  Republi- 
cans on  the  4th  of  September,  are  responsible  for  our 
misfortunes,  but  only  Bonaparte  and  his  crew!  " 

At  last,  having  heard  Nicolas  Hague  explain  his 
views,  seeing  that  we  had  been  delivered  up  by 
selfish  men — as  Cousin  Jacques  Desjardins  had 
foreseen  four  months  before — but  that  the  Repub- 
lic was  in  existence,  and  that  no  doubt  justice  would 
be  done  upon  all  who  had  brought  us  into  this  sad 
condition,  by  which  means  we  might  rise  some  day 
and  get  our  turn,  I  had  resolved  to  sell  my  mill,  my 
land,  and  everything  that  belonged  to  me  in  the 
country,  and  go  and  settle  in  France ;  for  the  sight 
of  Placiard  and  the  other  Prussian  functionaries, 
were  fraternizing  together,  and  shouting, 


STORY   OF   THE    PLEBISCITE  331 

"Long  live  old  Germany!  "  made  my  blood  boil. 
I  could  not  stand  it. 

Cousin  George,  to  whom  I  mentioned  my  de- 
sign, said :  "  Then,  if  all  the  Alsacians  and  Lor- 
rainers  go,  in  five  or  six  years  all  our  country  will 
be  Prussian.  Instead  of  going  to  America,  the  Ger- 
mans will  pour  in  here  by  hundreds  of  thousands; 
they  will  find  in  our  country,  almost  for  nothing, 
fields,  meadows,  vineyards,  hop-grounds,  noble  for- 
ests, the  finest  lands,  the  richest  and  most  produc- 
tive in  Central  Europe.  How  delighted  would  Bis- 
marck and  William  be  if  they  saw  us  decamping! 
N"o,  no;  I'll  stay.  But  this  does  not  mean  that  I 
am  becoming  a  Prussian — quite  the  contrary.  But 
in  this  ill-drawn  treaty  there  are  two  good  articles; 
the  first  affirms  that  the  Alsacians  and  the  Lor- 
rainers,  dwelling  in  Alsace  and  Lorraine,  may,  up 
to  the  month  of  October,  1872,  declare  their  inten- 
tion of  remaining  French,  on  condition  of  possessing 
an  estate  in  France;  the  second  affirms  that  the 
French  may  retain  their  landed  estates  in  Germany. 

"  Well,  I  at  once  elect  to  remain  a  Frenchman, 
and  I  take  up  my  abode  in  Paris  with  my  friend 
Nicolas  Hague,  who  will  be  happy  to  do  me  this 
service.  I  don't  want  to  become  a  burgomaster,  a 
municipal  councillor,  or  anything  of  that  kind ;  it 
will  be  enough  for  me  to  possess  good  land,  a 
thriving  business,  and  a  pleasant  house.  Yes — I 
intend  to  declare  at  once;  and  if  all  who  are  able  to 
secure  an  abode  in  France  will  do  as  I  am  doing,  we 


332  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

shall  have  German  authorities  over  us,  it  is  true,  but 
the  land  and  the  people  will  remain  French  and  the 
land  and  the  men  are  everything. 

"  Were  not  the  old  prefets  and  sous-prefets  of 
the  honest  man  intruders,  just  as  much  as  these 
men  are?  Did  they  care  for  anything  but  making 
us  pay  what  the  chambers  had  voted,  and  com- 
pelling us  to  elect  for  deputies  old  fogies  who  would 
be  safe  to  vote  whichever  way  the  Emperor  re- 
quired them?  Did  they  trouble  themselves  about 
us,  our  commerce,  our  trade,  any  farther  than, 
merely  to  draw  from  us  the  best  part  of  our  profits 
for  themselves,  their  friends,  their  acquaintances, 
and  all  the  supporters  of  the  dynasty  of  the  per- 
jurer? 

"  These  new  prefets,  these  kreis-dircctors,  these 
burgomasters,  set  over  us  to  defend  the  Prussian 
dynasty,  will  not  concern  us  much  more  than  the 
others  did.  At  first  they  will  try  mildness;  and 
as  we  have  been  well  able  to  remain  French  under 
the  prefets  of  Bonaparte,  so  we  may  live  and  re- 
main French  under  those  of  Emperor  William. 

"  My  principal  concern  is  that  a  large  majority 
should  declare  as  I  am  about  to  do.  The  fear  is 
lest  the  Placiards,  and  other  mayors  of  the  Em- 
pire kept  in  their  places  by  the  Prussians,  will  be 
able  to  turn  aside  the  people  from  declaring  them- 
selves as  Frenchmen,  by  intimidating  them  with 
threats  of  being  looked  upon  suspiciously,  or  even 
of  being  expelled;  the  fear  is  lest  these  fellows 


STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 


333 


should  keep  back  day  after  day  those  who  are  afraid 
of  deciding:  for  when  once  the  day  is  past,  those 
who  have  not  declared  for  France  will  be  Prussians 
— their  children  will  serve  and  be  subject  to  blows 
at  the  age  of  twenty,  for  old  Germany;  and  those 
who  have  already  fled  into  France  will  be  forced 
to  return  or  renounce  their  inheritance  forever. 

"  My  chief  hope  now  is  that  the  French  journals, 
which  are  always  so  busy  saying  useless  things,  will 
now,  without  fail,  warn  the  Alsacians  and  Lor- 
rainers  of  their  danger,  and  explain  to  them  that  if 
they  declare  for  France  their  persons  and  their 
property  will  be  guaranteed  in  safety  by  the  treaty; 
but  if  they  neglect  to  do  so,  their  persons  and  their 
property  fall  under  the  Prussian  laws.  They  would 
even  do  well  to  furnish  a  clear  and  simple  form  of 
declaration.  By  this  step,  all  who  are  interested 
would  be  clearly  informed,  and  these  papers  would 
have  done  the  greatest  service  to  France. 

"  As  for  me,  here  I  stay !  I  am  here  upon  my 
own  land;  I  have  bought  it;  I  have  paid  for  it  with 
the  sweat  of  my  brow.  I  will  pay  the  taxes;  I  will 
hold  my  tongue,  that  I  may  be  neither  worried  nor 
driven  away.  I  will  sell  my  crops  to  the  Germans 
as  dearly  as  I  can ;  I  will  employ  none  but  French- 
men; and  if  the  Republic  acquires  strength,  as  I 
hope  it  will — for  now  the  people  see  what  Mon- 
archies have  been  able  to  do  for  us — if  the  nation 
transacts  its  ow?n  business  wisely,  sensibly,  with 
moderation,  good  order,  and  reflection,  she  will  soon 


334  STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 

•rise  again,  and  will  once  more  become  powerful.  In 
ten  years  our  losses  will  be  repaired:  we  shall  pos- 
sess well-informed  constituencies,  national  armies, 
upright  administrations,  a  commissariat,  and  a  staff 
very  different  from  that  which  we  have  known. 

"  Then  let  the  French  return;  they  will  find  us, 
as  before,  ready  to  receive  them  with  open  arms, 
and  to  march  at  their  sides. 

"  But  if  they  pursue  their  old  course  of  coups 
d'etat  and  revolutions;  if  the  adventurers,  the 
Jesuits,  and  the  egotists  form  another  coalition 
against  justice;  if  they  recommence  their  disgrace- 
ful farces  of  plebiscites  and  constitutions  by  yes  and 
no,  with  bayonets  pointed  at  people's  throats  and 
with  electors  of  whom  one-half  cannot  read;  if 
they  bestow  places  again  by  patronage  and  recom- 
mendation of  friends,  instead  of  honestly  throwing 
them  open  to  competition;  if  they  refuse  element- 
ary education  and  compulsory  military  service;  if 
they  will  have,  as  in  past  times,  an  ignorant  popu- 
lace, and  an  army  filled  with  mercenaries,  in  order 
that  the  sons  of  nobles  and  bourgeois  may  remain, 
peaceably  at  home,  whilst  the  poor  labor  like  beasts 
of  burden,  and  go  and  meet  their  deaths  upon  bat- 
tle-fields for  masters  they  have  no  concern  with : — 
in  a  word,  if  they  overthrow  the  Republic  and  set 
up  Monarchy  again,  then  what  miseries  may  we  not 
expect?  Poor  France,  rent  by  her  own  children, 
will  end  like  Poland;  all  our  conquests  of  '89  will 
be  lost.  Switzerland,  Italy,  Belgium,  Holland,  all 


STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE  335 

the  free  nations  of  the  Continent  will  share  our 
fate;  the  great  splay  feet  of  the  Germans  will  over- 
spread Europe,  and  we  unhappy  Alsacians  and  Lor- 
rainers  will  be  forced  to  bow  the  head  under  the 
yoke,  or  go  off  to  America." 

This  speech  of  George's  made  me  reflect,  and  I 
resolved  to  wait. 

Many  Alsacians  and  Lorrainers  have  thought 
the  same;  and  this  is  why  M.  Thiers  was  right  in 
saying  that  the  Republic  is  the  form  of  govern- 
ment which  least  divides  us:  it  is  also  the  only  one 
which  can  save  us.  Any  other  form  of  govern- 
ment upon  which  Legitimists,  Orleanists,  and  Bo- 
napartists  could  well  meet  on  common  ground, 
would  end  in  our  destruction.  If  it  should  happen 
that  one  of  these  parties  succeeds  in  placing  its 
prince  upon  the  throne,  the  next  day  all  the  others 
would  unite  and  overthrow  it;  and  the  Germans, 
taking  advantage  of  our  division,  would  seize  upon 
the  Franche  Comte  and  Champagne. 

The  Deputies  of  the  Right  ought  to  reflect  well 
upon  this.  It  is  to  reinstate  the  country,  not  a 
.party,  that  they  are  at  Versailles;  it  is  to  restore 
harmony  to  our  distracted  country,  and  not  to  sow 
fresh  dissensions.  I  appeal  to  their  patriotism,  and, 
if  this  is  not  enough,  to  their  prudence.  New 
coups  d'etat  would  precipitate  us  into  fresh  revolu- 
tions more  and  more  terrible.  The  nation,  whose 
desire  is  for  peace,  labor,  order,  liberty,  education, 
and  justice  for  all,  is  weary  of  seeing  itself  torn  to 


336  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

pieces  by  Emperors  and  Kings;  the  nation  might 
become  exasperated  against  these  anglers  after 
Kings  in  troubled  waters,  and  the  consequences 
might  become  terrible  indeed. 

Let  them  ponder  well;  it  is  their  duty  to  do  so. 
And  all  these  princes,  too — all  these  shameless 
pretenders,  who  make  no  scruple  of  coming  to  di- 
vide us  at  the  crisis  when  union  alone  can  save  us — 
when  the  German  is  occupying  all  the  strong  places 
on  the  frontier,  and  is  watching  the  opportunity  to 
rend  away  another  portion  of  our  country!  These 
men  who  slip  into  the  army  through  favor;  whose 
disaffected  newspapers  impede  the  revival  of  trade, 
in  the  hope  of  disgusting  the  people  with  the  Re- 
public! These  princes  who  one  day  pledge  their 
word  of  honor,  and  the  day  after  withdraw  it,  and 
who  are  not  ashamed  to  claim  millions  in  the  midst 
of  the  general  ruin.  Yes,  these  men  must  conduct 
themselves  differently,  if  they  don't  wish  to  call  to 
remembrance  their  father  Louis  Philippe,  intrigu- 
ing with  the  Bonapartists  to  dethrone  his  benefactor 
Charles  X.;  and  their  grandfather,  Philippe 
Egalite,  intriguing  with  the  Jacobins  and  voting 
the  death  of  Louis  XVI.  to  save  his  fortune,  whilst 
his  son  was  intriguing  in  the  army  of  the  ISTorth  with 
the  traitor  Dumouriez  to  march  upon  Paris  and 
overthrow  the  established  laws. 

But  the  day  of  intrigues  has  passed  by  I 
Bonaparte    has    stripped    many    besides    these 
Princes  of  Orleans;  he  has  shot,  transported,  to- 


STORY    OF   THE   PLEBISCITE 


337 


tally  ruined  fathers  of  families  by  thousands;  their 
wives  and  their  children  have  lost  all!  Not  one 
of  these  unhappy  creatures  claim  a  farthing;  they 
would  be  ashamed  to  ask  anything  of  their  country 
at  such  a  time  as  this:  the  Princes  of  Orleans,  alone, 
claim  their  millions. 

Frankly,  this  is  not  handsome. 

I  am  but  a  plain  miller;  by  hard  work  I  have 
won  the  half  of  what  I  possess:  but  if  my  little 
fortune  and  my  life  could  restore  Alsace  and  Lor- 
raine to  France,  I  would  give  them  in  a  moment; 
and  if  my  person  were  a  cause  of  division  and 
trouble,  and  dangerous  to  the  peace  of  my  coun- 
try, I  would  abandon  the  mill  built  by  my  ancestors, 
the  lands  which  they  have  cleared,  those  which  I 
have  acquired  by  work  and  by  saving,  and  I  would 
go!  The  idea  that  I  was  serving  my  country,  that 
I  was  helping  to  raise  it,  would  be  enough  for  me. 
Yes,  I  would  go,  with  a  full  heart,  but  without  a 
backward  glance. 

And  now  let  us  finish  the  story  of  the  Plebiscite. 

Jacob  returned  to  work  at  the  mill;  Jean  Bap- 
tiste  Werner  also  came  back  to  demand  Gredel  in 
marriage.  Gredel  consented  with  all  her  heart; 
my  wife  and  I  gave  our  consent  cordially. 

But  the  dowry?  This  was  on  Gredel's  mind. 
She  was  not  the  girl  to  begin  housekeeping  without 
her  hundred  livres!  So  I  had  again  to  run  the 
water  out  of  the  sluice  to  the  very  bottom,  get  into 
the  mud  again,  and  once  more  handle  the  pick  and 
spade. 


338  STORY   OF  THE   PLEBISCITE 

Gredel  watched  me;  and  when  the  old  chest 
came  to  the  light  of  day  with  its  iron  hoops,  when 
I  had  set  it  on  the  bank,  and  opened  the  rusty  pad- 
lock, and  the  crowns  all  safe  and  sound  glittered  in 
her  eyes,  then  she  melted;  all  was  well  now;  she 
even  kissed  me  and  hung  upon  her  mother's  neck. 

The  wedding  took  place  on  the  1st  of  July  last; 
and  in  spite  of  the  unhappy  times,  was  a  joyful  one. 

Toward  the  end  of  the  fete,  and  when  they  were 
uncorking  two  or  three  more  bottles  of  old  wine, 
in  honor  of  M.  Thiers  and  all  the  good  men  who  are 
supporting  him  in  founding  tbe  Republic  in  France, 
Cousin  George  announced  to  us  that  he  had  taken 
Jean  Baptiste  Werner  into  partnership  in  his  stone 
quarry.  Building  stone  will  be  wanted;  the  bom- 
bardments and  the  fires  in  Alsace  will  long  furnish 
work  for  architects,  quarrymen,  and  masons:  it  will 
be  a  great  and  important  business. 

My  cousin  declared,  moreover,  that  he,  George 
"Weber,  would  supply  the  money  required;  that 
Jean  Baptiste  should  travel  to  take  orders  and 
work  the  quarries,  and  they  would  divide  the  profits 
equally. 

M.  Fingado,  notary,  seated  at  the  table,  drew 
the  deeds  out  of  his  pocket,  and  read  them  to  us,  to 
the  satisfaction  of  all. 

And  now  things  are  in  order,  and  we  will  try 
to  regain  by  labor,  economy,  and  good  conduct, 
what  Bonaparte  lost  for  us  by  his  Plebiscite. 

My  story  is  ended ;  let  every  one  derive  from  it 
guch  reflections  and  instruction  as  he  may* 


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